Columbia  (Hnit>e«ttp 
intljfCitpoflmgork 

THE   LIBRARIES 


Bequest  of 

Frederic  Bancroft 

1860-1945 


c^c;^^^.^^^^ 


MEMOIRS 


OF    THE 


LIFE  OF  MTHAMEL  STACY 


|)rmcl)er  of  tlje  @05pH  of  Hntoeraal  ®raa. 


COMPRISING- 

A  BRIEF  CIRCUMSTANTIAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  RISE  AND  PROGRESS 

OF  UNIVERSALISM  IN  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK, 

AS    IDENTIFIED    THEREWITH. 


r        i 


'And  what  ihou  s^^t  write  in  a'^boQlt,  and 'send  it  to  the  churches." 


COLUMBUS,  PA.  : 

PUBLISHED    FOR    THE    AUTHOR,    BY    ABNER    VEDDER. 
PRINTED  BY  W.  HEUGHES,  MONROE  HALL,  ROCHESTER.  N.Y. 


1850. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress, 

BY  NATHANIEL   STACY, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United 
States  for  Western  Pennsylvania,  Dec.  1,  1849. 


"^^m:^. 


•  *  *     g,« 


COITEITS 


PAGE, 

INTRODUCTION. H 

CHAPTER  I. 

Parentage—Their  place  of  nativity— Occupation— My  Father's  mar- 
riage— Removal  to  New  Salem — Commences  farming — Ignorance 
of  Agricullure — Campaign  in  the  Revolutionaiy  war — Bunker  Hill — 
Cherry  Valley — Col.  Stacy  prisoner — Gideon  Day  killed — State  of 
-ie&ming,  no  schools — Maternal  instraction — Parents  Univcrsalists, 
hearers  of  John  Murray — Universalist  Preachers,  Mr.  Rich,  Mr. 
Lathe,  Mr.  Barnes — Advanced  age  and  death  of  parents.     -  -      22 

CHAPTER   II. 

Birth  of  the  Author— Diminutive  stature— Tenacity  of  early  impressions 
— Deplorable  consequences  of  a  wrong  education — First  school — 
Learns  the  alphabet  in  one  day — school  books— proficiency — school 
Teacher — Specimen  of  pronunciation — First  spelling-books,  Dil- 
worth's.  Perry's,  Webster's — Goes  from  home  to  live — Commits  to 
memory  3d  chapter  ol"  Matthew — Eldest  brother  goes  to  Ohio — His 
return — Death  of  youngest  brother,  and  sensations  on  the  occasion 
— Father  puts  eldest  brother  in  possession  of  all  his  property — Dis- 
content— Subsequent  course — Goes  as  apprentice  to  a  Blacksmith — 
Health  declines — Returns  home — state  of  health — Hypochondria — 
strange  phantasma — Health  improves — Stature  and  weight — com- 
mences study  of  arithmetic — Proficiency — Religious  conviction — 
Thoughts  turned  on  an  education — Academy — Importunes  his  Father 
for  freedom,  and  obtains  it — Resolutions — Habit  of  profane  swearing 
—Cause  of  reform— Hires  out  to  labor— Wages— goes  to  Boston 
vnlh.  a  drove— Returns  to  New  Salem— Goes  to  common-school 
—First  term  in  Academy.      -  -  -  -•-  -28 

CHAPTER  III. 

Second    journey  to    Vermont— Capt.  Shaw— first  attempt  to  teach 
school— Elder  Wm.  Graw— religious  awakening  and  fears  renewed 


IV  CONTENTS. 

commences  reading  the  Bible,  and  obtains  relief— engages  as  Post- 
rider— Universalist  Association— Mr.  Ballon- Benoni  Shaw,  his  pre- 
vious religious  profession — Association  holden  in  the  Court-house — 
conduct  of  the  sheriff- Mr.  Young  visits  Bridgewater— three  Preach- 
ers only  reside  in  Vermont — second  tenn  of  school  teaching — return 
to  Massachusetts— labor  on  the  turnpike  in  Hardvvick— visits  Bileri- 
ca,and  works  on  a  fami— return  to  New-Salera— Term  at  the  Aca- 
demy-enters as  a  clerk  in  the  store  of  Joel  Amsden,  Dana— be- 
comes personally  acquainted  with  Mr.  Ballou— inclination  to  preach 
— Ellis  Blake's  suicide — feelings  on  the  occasion — Elegy.     -  -      47 

CHAPTER   IV. 

The  author  enters  as  apprentice  to  a  clock-maker — Mr.  Ballou's  visit 
to  the  shop — conversation — engagement  to  study  with  Mr.  Ballou — 
scarcity  of  books  on  the  doctrine — no  periodicals— no  commentaries 
— an  illiterate  ministry — analogy  of  divme  means  to  introduce  spe- 
cial dispensations — first  attempt  to  preach — renewed  resolution — 
Meetings  in  New  Salem — accompanies  Mr.  Ballou  to  Mr.  Babbit's 
ordination,  Jericho,  Vt. — remains  with  Mr.  Babbit,  and  itinerates  ia 
that  country — preaches  in  Mooretowir,  Bolton,  Montpelier,  Jericho, 
Essex,  and  Westford — opposition — controversy— journey  to  Rutland 
— visits  Mr.  Ferris,  and  Mr.  Rich — Preaches  in  Hinesburg,  New-Ha- 
ven, and  Salisbuiy — Engages  to  teach  school — introduction  to,  and 
conversation  with  an  Episcopalian  clergyman — return  to  Onion  Riv- 
er— visit  to  Mr.  Ballou  in  Barnard — return  to  Salisbury,  and  com- 
mences school — delivers^  first  funeral  discourse  at  the  burial  of  two 
children  in  one  grave — association  with  the  Methodists — execration 
from  a  Methodist  preacher — preaches  in  Salisbury  and  adjacent 
towns,  and  m  Benson — controversy  in  the  midst  of  a  discourse — suc- 
cess and  prospects  of  the  doctrine  in  Addison  county.  -  -      6C 

CHAPTER   V. 

Author  starts  for  the  association — falls  in  company  with  ?^fr.  Kneeland — 
Mr.  Knecland'sand  Mr.  Ballou's  genius  contracted — Mr.  Kneeland's 
course,  and  anecdotes  con(ferning  him — ^the  Convention — preachers' 
names — Mr.  Winchester's  tomb-stone — number  received  into  fellow- 
ship— letter  of  fellowship — Noah  Murray — Samuel  Smith — confes- 
.sion  of  faith — visit  to  my  native  place — tour  to  Vemiont — return  to 
Massachusetts — teaches  school — tour  to  Vermont — preaches  for  Rev. 
Thos.  Fc.ss(^den — Congregationalist  ministers  in  Walpole,  Surrey, 
Alstead  and  Charlestown  Universalists — suffering  in  body  and  mind 
on  return  journey  from  Benson,  Vt.,  to  Williamsburg,  Massachusetts 
— Itinerating  in  Massachusetts — singular  introduction  at  Oxford — 
;;cneral  Convention,  1804 — Rev.  John  MuiTay — Mr.  Palmer — ^modi- 


CONTENTS.  V 

fication  of  the  name  of  the  Convention — engage)nent  to  teach  school 
in  Worcester — illiberality  of  a  clergyman — success  in  school — sin- 
gular influence  of  educational  habit.  -  -  -  -  -      87 

CHAPTER   VI. 

Author  starts  on  a  tour  to  Vermont — visit  to  Mr.  N.  Foster — Mr.  F.'s  for- 
mer religious  sentiments — his  conversion  to  Universalism,  and  its 
moral  effects — visit  to  Benson — leaves  Benson  on  a  tour  to  the  State 
of  New  York — meeting  in  Whitehall — in  Fort  Ann — incidents  in 
Fort  Ann — meetings  in  the  house  of  Mr.  Gilbert  Harris — author  visits 
his  brother  in  Canajoharie— interview  with  Elder  Elliott— journey 
to  Sangerfield,  Oneida  county — delivers  his  first  discourse  in  Sanger- 
field — solicitations  to  remain  longer — state  of  feeling  among  the  in- 
habitants of  the  country,  and  progress  of  the  doctrine — begins  to 
itinerate  through  the  counties  of  Oneida,  Chenango,  &c. — visit  to  his 
brother,  and  meeting  in  Otsego — meets  Mr.  Wooley — Conference  in 

^     Burlington, the  germ  of  the  Western  Association — opposition — con- 
lab  with  Mr.  B.  Morse — a  bow  drawn  at  a  venture — desultory  dis- 
cussion with  Rev.  Mr.  Knapp — singular  question — first  discourse  in    • 
Hamilton  village — Judge  Paine — amusing  anecdote — first  meeting 
in  Madison — Interview  with  Elder  Morton — curious  anecdote  of  El- 

•  der  M. — challenge — first  meeting  in  Whitestown — organization  of 
tlie  first  society  in  Oneida  county — singular  remark  of  Polycarpus 
Smith — a  regular  circuit — Joseph  Tenney  and  his  book — two  socie- 
ties organized — growth  and  prospects  of  the  cause.  -  -  -     111 

CHAPyER  VII. 

Delegates  from  the  State  of  New  York  attend  the  Convention — visit  to 
WilminstOLi — committee  appointed  to  assist  in  organizing  an  Associa- 
tion in  the  state  of  New  York — Father  Zebulon  Streeter — ordination 
— ^visit  to  New  Salem — return  to  New  York — churches  organized  in 
Whitestown  and  Hamilton — persecution — a  vile  slander — Elder  Joy 
Handy — extract  of  a  letter  from  Elder  S.  King — a  preaching  race 
— the  author  marries — brief  account  of  his  family — removes  to  Brook- 
field,  N.  Y. — incident  on  the  journey — loses  his  horse — slender  re- 
munerations for  ministerial  labors — impossibility  of  regular  salary — 
Author's  established  principles  on  the  subject  of  salaries.     -  -    145 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

Organization  of  the  Western  Association  in  the  State  of  New  York — 
complaint  of  Mr.  M.  T.  Wooley — his  trial  and  expulsion — anecdote 
of  Mr.  Flagg — minutes  of  proceedings  printed  in  a  pamphlet — 
Haynes'  sermon  and  Ballou's  letter — new  societies — General  Conven- 


VI  CONTENTS. 

tion,  1806 — confab  with  a  dutchman,  and  a  yankee  school-master, 
in  Watcrvhet — interview  with  Mr.  Lansing — Mr.  Vandenburg— con- 
lab  with  Elder  Wm.  Underwood — Mr.  Underwood's  conversion — 
removal  to  Whitestown — interview  with  Elder  Calvin  Winslow — 
Mr.  Winslow's  conversion,  and  excommunication  from  the  Metho- 
dists- -his  character  and  expulsion — society  organized  in  Western — ap- 
pointment between  Whitesboro'  and  Rome — encounter  with  a  terma- 
gant— association  in  1807 — flattering  prospects,  and  increased  oppo- 
sition— Whitestown  society  invites  Mr.  Ballou  to  uettle  with  them — 
Mr.  Paul  Dean  engages  to  settle  with  them.  .  -  .    16S 

CFI  AFTER   IX. 

Introduction  of  the  doctrine  into  Sullivan — Homer — society  organized 
in  Homer — author  turns  pedagogue  again — common  schools — secta- 
rian bigotry — commences  school — school-house  burned — prosecution 
of  supposed  incendiary — removal  to  Hamilton — purchases  and  builds  ^ 
-Association  in  1803-Mr.  Ballou's  last  visit-Mr.  Ferris-Mr.  Babbit  ^ 
— encouraging  prospects — first  discourse  in  Norwich  Court-  House — 
'IMatthew  Long,  Esq. — appointment  in  Bainbridge — Society  in  Bain- 
bridge — extensive  circuit — I\Ir.  J — d,  his  malignant  opposition,  and 
conversion — Mr.  Taylor,  his  sickness,  death,  and  funeral — Associa- 
tion in  1809 — Mr.  Wm.  Baker — extension  of  the  doctrine — acces- 
sions to  the  ministry — first  meeting  in  Augusta — desultory  conversa- 
tion and  discussion  at  the  close — Sally  Murdoch,  her  sickness  and 
death — triumphs  of  her  faith — dialogue  between  Mr.  Holmes  and  his 
minister  on  the  above-mentioned  occasion — another  testimony,  in  the 
case  of  Mrs.  Beach — and  yet  anothej^  Mrs  Woodhull.        -  -     190 

CHAPTER   X. 

Association  in  1810 — prosperity  of  the  cause— Mr.  Dean's  success — his 
character — quarterly  conferences — periodical,  the  "  Religious  Inqui- 
rer'— Mr.  Fuller  a  Methodist  preacher — ill  health  of  my  lamily — 
first  visit  to  our  native  land — desultory  conversation  with  a  preacher 
at  the  close  of  a  lecture  m  Augusta — Association  in  1811 — female 
preacher,  Maria  Cook — anecdotes  of  her — Doct.  Lewis  Beers,  his 
connection  with  Universalists  and  subsequent  course — first  meeting  in 
Cazenovia — interview  with  Deacon  M. — long  confab  with  Sheriff" 
Whipple — Doct.  Ballard — first  tour  to  Genesee  country — interview 
with  Elder  James  Parker— Meetings  in  Benton  and  Gorham— 
preachers  at  the  general  meeting  in  Gorham — Elder  Parker's  conver- 
sion— state  of  the  cause  in  that  country — English  settlement  in  Pitts- 
ford — their  faith  and  mamiers — second  tour  through  Genesee  coun- 
— visit  to  Dr.  Beers.  - 213 


CONTENTS.  YII 

CHAPTER    XI. 

Asaociationiii  1812— Mr.  S.  Miles— Dr.  J.  Ellis— Mr.  L.  Knapp— long 
tour  through  the  Canisteo  and  Genesee  countries — pleasant  incident 
at  a  Methodist  meeting — meetings  in  Canisteo,  Le  Roy,  and  BatavJa 
— Genesee  Falls — funeral  at  the  landing — hard  day's  ride — Mr. 
Sherman's  ordination — Association  in  1813 — Mr.  James  Gowdy — 
Mr.  Seth  Jones — Mr.  S.  R.  Smith — association  in  1814 — meeting- 
house refused — meeting  held  in  a  barn — the  effects  of  refusal — Dr. 

Groon — Mr.  Pitts — Genesee  branch — chaplain  in  the  militia — amu- 

sing  anecdote — campaign  in  the  service — Sacket's  Harbor — demora]|H| 
izing  effects  of  military  campaigns — visit  to  EUisburgh — close  of  cani^^ 
paign  and  return — Association  in  1815 — Mr.  Root — Mr.  Underwood's 
admission  into  connection — Mr.  Whitnal — Mr.  Cook — theological 
seminary — first  session  of  the  Genesee  Branch — first  Universalis 
meeting  in  Aubura — severe  fit  of  sickness — sectarian  slander — visit 
to  Mr.  Person,  in  Greenfield — ague  and  fever — Association  in  1816 — 
cold  season— journey  to  the  sea  coast — clam-bake — Capt.  Martin — 
sail  on  the  bay  at  New  Bedford — lecture  at  the  head  of  the  river — 
Rochester — Deacon  Foster — a  religious  maniac — visit  to  Newport, 
R.  I. — lecture  in  the  State  House— Elder  Green — Meeting  in  Dana — 
Return  home.  ------  .    246 

CHAPTER   XII. 

Ancient  treatise,  "  tiie  world  unmasked,  or  the  philosopher  the  greatest 
cheat" — publishing  a  book,  an  unfortunate  enterprise — Judge  Flagler's 
conversion — lecture  at  Judge  F.'s — he  commences  preaching — Col- 
chester settlement— journey  to  Connecticut — meeting  in  the  city  of 
Hartford — reception  at  Colchester — remarks  of  a  friend  on  Sunday 
morning — meetings  in  several  towns  and  societies— return  through 
Duchess  county,  N.  Y. — Session  of  the  Genesee  Branch  at  Buffalo — 
Calvin  Morton — anecdote  of  Mr.  Wliitnal,  and  a  Scotch  Presbyte- 
rian clergyman — extraordinary  excitement — conference  meetings — 
manifest  feelings  of  the  denominations  on  the  subject — Methodists 

unite  in  the  meetings — Mr.   M ,  Congregationalist  clerg>''man — 

— correspondence — Mr.  M 's  course  in  the  conferences — time  of 

conference  meetings  changed — Mr.  M 's  vexation  and  wrath — 

interview  with  Methodist  presiding  Elder — quarterly  meeting — Mr. 
M attends  church  meeting — communion — address  of  a  Metho- 
dist sister — Mr.  M comes  into  the  Universalist  meeting — his  er- 
rand— Union  meeting  in  the  Congregational  meeting-house — Mr. 
M 's  ecstaey  and  zeal — General  excitement — conference — ^oppo- 
sition of  the  Congregational  clergy — Mr.  M 's  retraction  and  the 

consequences  which  followed — a  dream — water-baptism — another 
dream — Mrs.  Pierce — mode  of  preacliing  and  exhortation  of  tha 


Tin  CONTENTS. 

Methodists  during  tho  revival — peculiar  sensativeness  at  an  evening 
lecture,  in  a  remote  part  of  the  town— church  organized  in  Madison 
— Baptism  of  Rev.  O.  G  Person  by  immersion,  in  the  winter — result 
of  the  awakening — numbers  united  to  the  church — Mr.  Job  Potter — 
Mr.  Oliver  Ackley — increased  diligence  in  reading  the  Scriptures — 
presentation  of  texts — inspiration.      -----    276 

CHAPTER    XIII. 

Association  in  1818 — accession  to  the  ministry — second  visit  to  Connec- 
Jjmt — anecdote  of  Mr.  N.  Foot— city  of  Hudson — Universalist  meet- 
^^house — previous,  and  ordinary  places  of  worship — prosecution  for 
preaching  in  a  meetinghouse — singular  interview  with  a  singular  man 

— Intei-view  with  Esq.  J -n — his  experience — his  scepticism  about 

mij^cles  arid  miraculous  birth  of  Christ — the  result — Association  in 
1819— Rev.  Thos.  Gross— Dr.  S.  Adams— history  of  the  order— tour 
to  Jefferson  county — conference — Sacket's  Harbor — Mr.  Luff^his 
meeting  house  and  society — tour  to  Northern  Pennsylvania — Sheshe- 
quin — Athens — Widow  of  Noah  Murray — Mr.  Park,  his  widow  and 
family — impostors — Squire  Streeter  and  David  Gilson — second  visit 
to  Pennsylvania — third  tour  to  Pennsylvania — fourth  tour  to  Penn- 
sylvania— Elder  Whipple — session  of  the  Genesee  Branch — Hollis 
Sampson — Alfred  Peck — prosperity  of  the  cause — conference — or- 
ganization of  the  Chenango  Association — proposition  for  a  state 
Convention — delegates  appointed — proposition  for  convention  meets 
an  unfavorable  reception  in  Genesee  Branch  ;  also  in  Central  Asso- 
ciation— change  of  sentiment  on  the  subject — establishment  of  a 
State  convention.       -------    305 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

Organization  of  Black  River  Association — Warren  Skinner — a  text 
given — the  discourse — tour  to  Genesee  and  Cayuga  Associations — 
disaffection — Mr.  Flagler's  opposition — further  views  of  the  pow- 
er of  a  Convention— digression  concerning  Mr.  Flagler's  course  at 
the  Genesee  and  Cayuga  Associations  1823 — Wm.  I.  Rees — meet- 
ing in  Onondaga  and  Manlius— supplies  the  desk  for  a  short  time 
in  Philadelphia  for  Mr.  Smith— journey— reception— Mr.  P.  Morse 
—state  of  society-habits— Jewish  synagogue— 4th  of  July  in  Con- 
gress Hall  of  1776— death  of  Ex-Presidents,  John  Adams  and 
Thos-  Jefferson— address  on  the  occasion— bishop  White— return 
—stop  in  New  York  city— in  Hudson— Mr.  T.  F.  King- Chenan- 
go Association— meeting-house  in  Nelson— engagement  to  preach 
in  Nelson— Mr.  E.  M.  Wooley— journey  to  Vermont— general 
Convention— meeting  with  Mr.  Ballou— meeting  in  Fort  Ann— ar- 
rival at  Bridgewater — my  mother— Barre — my  wife's  sister— our  re- 


CONTENTS.  IX 

ception — Northern  association— Mr.  Williams — his  defection — 
meeting  in  Barre — in  Bridgewater — return — state  of  the  cause — 
engagement  in  Sanquoit — Associations — Dr.  J.  B.  Pierce — visit  to 
Lyons— three  Sabbaths  in  Lyons—Hon.  Myron  Holly— Newark.  -     329 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Retrospection — present  state  of  the  cause — ephemeral  preachers — J.  S. 
Thompson — laborious  itinerations —  remunerations  —  approaching 
storm — anti-masonic  excitement — anarchy  in  churches  generally — 
agitation  in  Universalist  societies — disaffection  in  the  church  in 
Hamilton — Mr.  H. — church  meeting — address — Benard's  "  Light 
on  Masonry" — Elder  Blain — His  course  at  a  Masonic  funeral — 
thoughts  ofremuval — correspondence  with  societies — visit  to  Brook- 
lin,  Pennsylvania — proposals  from  Columbus,  Pennsylvania — visit  to 
Columbus— Brokenstraw  country — Capt.  D.  Curtis — village  com- 
menced— further  "arrangements — return — disposal  of  property  in 
Hamilton— visit  to  Vermont— Mr.  Freeman's  visit  and  settlement  in 
Hamilton— his  ministry  and  death— farewell  discourse— removal- 
arrival  at  Columbus— gift  of  a  village  lot— winter  arrangements- 
sickness  of  my  wife — Organization  of  a  society  and  church — calls  ^ 
for  preaching — one  preacher  only  in  all  this  region  of  country — state 
of  the  cause — extensive  itinerancy — societies  organized — our  fami- 
ly— severe  trial  and  bereavement — intense  feeling — divine  power  of 
faith— commencement  on  a  farm  lot— the  oldest  son  returns  to  his 
trade,the  other  chooses  a  profession,and  farming  abandoned — death 
of  Capt.  Curtis — temporal  misfortune — a  periodical,  the  "  Genius  of 
liberty"— Mr.  L.  C.  Todd's  indifference  of  order— his  course,  and 
his  defection;  _------    347 

CHAPTER   XVI. 

Prosperity  of  the  cause  in  Hamilton  under  Mr.  Freeman — erection  of 
a  meetinghouse — visit  to  Hamilton — Central  Association — greeting 
of  old  friends— Brother  H— ,  his  change  of  feeling  and  confession- 
dedication — visits  among  friends — meetings  during  the  tour,  and 
prosperity  of  the  cause — Mr.  Bond  removes  to  Carroll — and  Mr.  .T. 
E.  Holmes  to  Westfield— conference  in  Carroll— resu?ciiation  of 
the  Chautauqua  Association — heavy  affliction,  death  of  a  beloved 
daughter — a  scrap — tour  to  Ohio — Western  Keserve  Association — 
— meeting  in  several  towns — Chautauque  Association — circuit  pro- 
posed—Mr. W.  E.  Manley— c  rcuit  conference— tour  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  circuit — administration  of  Capt.  D.  Curtis'  estate — 
tour  to  Virginia — voyage  on  a  raft — visit  to  Marietta,  Ohio — intro- 
duction— meeting — visit  among  relatives  up  the  Muskingum,  to 
Belpre-^r.  Chappel— meetings— Sunday  at  McCoiinelsville— re- 


X:  CONTENTS. 

turnjourney— meeting  at  Beaver— arrival  home— call  from  Michi- 
gan—tour— passage  up  the  lake— Detroit— Ann  Arbor— society- 
Meeting  House— reception— meetings— general  appearance  of  the 
country— engagement— return— close  of  executorship— removal  to 
Michigan— journey  through  Ohio— storrn— steam-boat  voyage— ar- 
rival at  Detroit,  Ann  Arbor—state  of  society  in  Michigan,  habits 
and  institutions— two  Universalist  preachers,  A.  H.  Curtis  and  Thos. 
Wheeler— lectures  in  different  places— organization  of  Association, 
preachers  present— church  organized— interesting  anecdote  of  the 
conversion  of  Deacon  John  Williams— his  sickness  and  trial  of 
faith— the  church  approves  of  his  public  improvements— receives  a 
letter  of  fellowship  from  the  Association— opposition  of  the  clergy 
—invitation  for  a  discussion— address  to  the  clergy— articles  publish- 
ed in  the  "  State  Journal"  and  "Michigan  Argus"— Pvcv.  Mr.  Marks' 
article — his  second  article — reply — course  of  lectures.  -  -    370 

CHAPTER   XVII. 

Unsettled  state  of  citizenship  in  Ann  Arbor— burden  of  support  on  a 
few— one  means  of  spreading  the  truth— speculating  mania — extor- 
tionate prices— duration  of  residence  in  Michigan — reasons  for  re* 
^^urning  to  Pennsylvania— losses  by  Bank  failures — expenses  exceed- 
ing income — society  meeting — making  up  arrearages — anonymous 
articles  in  the  "  Magazine  and  Advocate" — Dr.  T.  C.  Adam — pro- 
position to  Dr.  Adam  to  enter  the  ministry— correspondence — Dr. 
A.makesanappointmeut— his  success — his  second  appointment — 
Dr.  A.'s  fitness  for  the  station  at  A.  A. — the  society  give  Dr.  Adam 
a  call  to  settle  with  them — he  accepts  for  one  year — salary  raised— 
the  author's  dismissal — farewell  discourse  and  separation — session  of 
the    Association — their    additional  labors— state  of    the  cause — 
number  of  preachers — Dr.  A.  enters  upon  his  charge — his  character 
and  habits— his  ill  health,  and  subsequent  relinquishment  of  the  min- 
istry-ill health  of  my  wife— removal  from  Ann  Arbor — Dr.  Adam's 
benevolence— further  reasons  for  returning  to  Pennsylvania — provi- 
dential favors — leaving  Michigan— journey  through  Ohio— an  ec- 
cectric  man  and  singular  theory' — state  of  the  cause  in  Pennsylvania 
— Lake  Erie  Association — Judah  Babcock — reports  concerning  him 
— this  withdrawal — his  certificates  and  restoration — subsequent  cir- 
cumstances— investigation — complaint  against  Mr.  Babcok,and  his 
suspension— Mr.  B.'s  visit  to  this  country,  and  his  letter  to  the  au- 
thor—his expulsion— doings  of  Blue  River  Asscciation,  Indiana.    -    411 

CHAPTER   XVIII. 

Physical  improvement  of  the  country — views  and  expectations  on  return 
ing  to  Pennsylvania— Mr^aine— Calls  and  labors— Mr.  Paul's  re 


1$ 


'sre- 


CONTENTS.  XI 

moval— Engagement  in  Columbus— Extent  of  monthly  travels— Ar- 
rangement for  tour  to  NewlEngland— Journey — Allegany  Associa- 
iion— Boston— Buffalo-Niagara  Falls— Lockport— Gaines— Roch- 
ester—Organization  of  a  church— Newark— D.  K.  Lee— Geneva- 
Arrival  in  Madison  county— Journey  to  Vennont-Charleton,  Sara- 
toga county — Anival  in  Bridgewater — My  mothei-'s  grave — Inscrim 
tion— Woodstock— Barre— Meeting  and  separation  of  friends— Re- 
turn through  Northfield— Visits  in  Woodstock  and  Bridgewater— 
Rev.  R.  Streeter— The  farewell— Improvement  of  the  countiy,  and 
roads- Journey  from  Woodstock  to  New  Salem— Rude  inscription 
on  a  monument^tone— Reminiscences— Visit  to  our  native  town — 
Pleasingly  melancholy  reflections— The  cemetery— Visit  to  my  bro- 
ther's family— To  Mr.  Flagg,  Dana— State  of  the  cause— meeting  in 
the  old  Congregational  house— Reminiscence  of  ancient  times— Rev. 
Joel  Foster— Universalist  preacher  settled  in  New  Salem— Disap- 
pointment-Journey  to  Madison  county ,New  York— Brattlebcrough 
— S.  Elliot,  Esq.— Rev.  Mr.  Ballou— Wilmington— Rev.  Mr.  Bai- 
ley—Conference —  Bennington  —  Snowstonn— Duanesburg  —  Rev. 
Mr.  Lyon— Cooperstown— Rev.  Mr.  Whiston— Arrival  at  Hamil- 
ton-meeting and  parting  with  a  brother— His  death— Labors  of  the 
winter— Conferences  and  funerals— Mr.  D.  Dunbar  and  his  wife 
—Her  death— Remarkable  coincidence— Return  home— Prov-iden- 
tial  favors— Reflections.  ----..    423 

CHAPTER    XIX. 

Liquiry  about  the  memoirs  of  my  life— Renewed  resolution  to  tiy  to  over- 
come obstacles  — hindrances—  Commencement— Slow  progress- 
Restless  temperament— Arrangements  for  a  tour  to  Michigan— Mar- 
riage of  our  youngest  cliild— Lake  Erie  Association— Legitimate 
powers  of  an  Association— Mr.  L.  C.  Todd  restored— Journey  to 
Michigan— Disaster  and  fright  on  the  lake— Anival  at  Detroit- 
Mr.  J.  Stebbins— State  of  the  cause,  and  religious  character  of  the 
citizens  in  Detroit— Reception  at  Ann  Arbor— Improvement  of  the 
place— Sensations  on  entering  the  church— Condition  of  the  society 
—Mr.  Miles— State  of  the  cause  in  general — Additional  Association 
—State  Convention— Periodical  visits  and  meetings— Dr.  T.  C.  Adam 
—Penitentiary-Mr.  Bilhngs  chaplam-Terror  ineffectual  to  prevent 
crime— Mr.  Ring's  influence— Reformation  of  convicts— Return 
home— Reflections-Conclusion  —  Number  of  States  visited  and 
preached  in— Number  of  discourses  delivered— Number  of  funerals 
attended— Number  of  marriages  solemnized— Valediction.  -    470 


APPENDIX. 


PART  L— EXHIBITING  THE  AUTHOR'S  PECULIAR 
DOCTEIML  VIEWS. 


INTRODUCTION. 

Impossibility  of  perfect  unity  of  opinion — Former  opinions — Calvin- 
ism extended — Inconsistencies    and   absurdities — Universalism  de- 
fined— Different  opinions  create  no  seisms — Present  views  stated  un- 
der five  propositions.  ___.--    463 
PROPOSITION  I.— OF  MAN. 

Man  is  the  moral  offspring  of  God — He  possesses  freedom  of  moral 
action  within  his  sphere — is  not  bound  in  a  state  of  passivity  by  the 
fatality  of  divine  decrees — Has  actions  which  are  properly  called  his 
own,  and  for  which  he  is  accountable,  rewardable,  or  punishable.     -    470 

PROPOSITION  II.— OF  SALVATION. 
Salvation  is  not  a  deliverance  from  deseived  punishment,  nor  a  mere 
transition  from  one  mode  of  existence  to  another — ^nor  does  it  exclu- 
sively consist  in  a  deliverance  from  sin — but  it  does  consist  in  purity 
of  soul  produced  by  that  knowledge  of  the  divine  character,  and  the 
moral  government  of  God,  which  inspire  confidence  in  the  divine 
wisdom,  reconciliation  to  the  divine  will,  supreme  love  to  all  the  di- 
vine attributes  ;  and  assimilates  the  whole  moral  man  to  the  divine 
character.        ----__-.    474. 

PROPOSITION  ni.-OF  CHRIST,  AND  THE  MEDIATORIAL 
KINGDOM. 
Christ  is  the  Sou  of  God  in  a  more  exalted  sense  than  Adam,  or  his  pos- 
terity— He  had  an  individual  existence  previous  to  the  works  of  crea- 
tion—was  the  agent  of  the  Father  in  the  creation  of  the  visible  uni- 
verse—The mediatorial  kingdom  of  Christ,  called  in  the  Evangel- 
ist the  kingdom  of  heaven  and  the  kingdom  of  God,  is  not  the  king- 
dom of  immortal  blessedness,  but  preparatory— 'I%is  kingdom  is  not 


CONTENTS. 


xiir 


confined  to  any  mode  of  existence,  but  includes  the  future  as  well 
a3  the  present — This  kingdom  is  not  a  state  of  probation,  but  of  dis- 
cipline and  instruction.  --_...    477 

J'ROPOSITION  IV.— OF  PUNISHMENT. 

Punishment,  under  the  government  of  Christ,  is  not  vindictive,  nor  retal- 
iatory— But  is  disciplinary  and  emendatory.  .  .  -    4^3 

PROPOSITION  v.— OF  THE  RESURRECTION. 

The  resurrection  of  the  dead,  as  argued  by  the  apostle,  in  the  15th  chap.  1 
Cor.,  is  not  a  resuscitation  of  these  material  bodies,  the  bodies  which 
die  ;  but  a  rising,  or  resurrection,  of  the  whole  body  of  the  church 
from  the  intermediate  state,  or  from  the  preparatory  kingdom  to  the 
immortal  kingdom.    -------    498 


PxVRT  II.— BIISCELLANEOUS  POETRY. 


BloQfii  of  Spring.  -  -  _  .  _ 

Elegiac  lines,       ------ 

Experience,  in  two  parts.  -  -  -  - 

Lines  inscribed  to  Widow  C .  -  -  _ 

Search  the  Scriptures.     -  -  -  -  - 

Lines  written  at  the  grave  of  a  son.        -  -  . 

Acrostic.  -  -  -  -  ^  _ 

Elegy  on  the  death  of  Erastus  Ransom  -  -  - 

A  Card,  on  being  presented  with  a  cloak. 
A  Card,  on  receiving  a  donation  of  a  rich  suit  of  apparel. 
A  Card,  on  receiving  a  splendid  new  one-horse  harness. 


PAGE. 

-  499 

■  501 

-  504 

-  508 

-  511 

-  513 
•  515 

■  516 

■  519 
519 

.  522 


IISCEIPTION 


To  the  Central  Association  in  the  State  of  Michigan,  and 
to  tlie  Chautauque  Association  of  Universalists  in  the  State 
of  New  York,  the  following  sheets  are  humbly,  but  most 
respectfully  inscribed.  The  great  length  of  time  that  has 
passed  since  the  call  for  these  memoirs  was  made  by  the  Cen- 
tral Association  in  Michigan,  and  reiterated  by  that  of  Chau- 
tauque, has  consigned  to  the  grave  many,  and  perhaps  most 
of  those  peculiar  friends  who  felt  the  deepest  interest  there- 
in. But  nevertheless,  those  bodies  still  exist,  and  some  few 
individual  members,  who,  with  the  author,  are  permitted  to 
live  a  little  longer  on  borrowed  time,  have  been  spared  to 
see  the  accomplishment  of  the  task  ;  and  for  the  peculiar  mani- 
festation of  their  confidence,  and  the  numerous  tokens  of  their 
kindness,  the  author  can  make  no  other  return  than  humbly 
oilering  to  their  patronage  this  fruit  of  his  humble  labors. 

Unaccustomed  to  write,  and  disinclined  to  authorship,  he 
was  well  aware  that  the  task  would  be  a  severe  one ;  and 
when  the  work  was  first  commenced  he  felt  serious  doubts 
that  it  would  ever  be  completed  by  his  own  hand ;  but 
through  the  tender  mercy  of  God,  his  life  has  been  spared  to 
a  sufficient  period  to  see  the  end.  The  task,  though  labo- 
rious for  him,  has  by  no  means  been  so  unpleasant  as  he  an- 
ticipated. Indeed,  it  has  been  rather  pleasing  to  review  the 
scenes  of  childhood,  and  retrace 'the  vivacious  steps  of  youth 
— it  was  almost  like  livina;  over  aajain  the  life  which  can 
never  otherwise  be  recalled  ; — and  especially,  it  has  afforded 
much  pleasure  to  retrospect  the  days  of  the  infancy  of  our 


JVI  INSCRIPTION. 

cause,  to  trace  its  onward  progress,  and  mark  the  hand  of 
God  in  its  establishment  and  prosperity. 

I  anticipate  much  disappointment  for  many  of  my  reader?. 
Those,  however,  best  acquainted  with  me,  could  expect 
nothino;  more  than  an  unvarnished  detail  of  such  facts  as 
came  within  the  sphere  of  my  action  and  observation  ;  and 
such  will  experience  no  great  disappointment,  for  this  has 
been  my  aim.  With  this  object  solely  in  view,  the  volume 
might  have  been  swelled  to  ten  times  its  present  size  ;  but  I 
have  selected  and  abridged  according  to  the  best  of  my 
judgment.  By  some  strange  and  unaccountable  means, 
the  idea  that  I  was  preparing  a  work  of  the  kind  has  got 
widely  circulated,  and  many,  no  doubt,  have  anticipated 
somethinor  extraordinary — some  wonderful  detail  of  mirac- 
ulous events,  and,  perhaps,  some  strange  developments  of 
the  mysteries  of  Providence  !  Such  will  feel  a  disappoint- 
ment, which,  although  I  am  very  sorry,  I  cannot  prevent. 

In  dates  of  certain  events,  I  may  have  been  inaccurate  in 
some  instances,  though  I  think  not.  I  had  kept  minutes  in 
most  cases  ;  afid  I  have  been,  in  a  few  instances,  assisted  by 
the  "  Historical  Sketches  and  Incidents"  of  Rev.  S.  R.  Smith. 

In  the  course  of  the  narration,  I  have  often  used  the  term 
Parlialist,  not  invidiously,  but  as  the  most  appropriate  appel- 
lation to  distinguish  those  of  all  sects,  indiscriminately,  who 
advocate  the  doctrines  of  a  partial  salvation,  from  those  who 
believe  in  universal,  efficient  grace,  and  in  the  final  destruc- 
tion of  sin,  and  the  universal  holiness  and  happiness  of  all 
moral  intelligences. 

Such,  however,  as  the  work  is,  it  is  deferentially  submitted 
to  the  examination  of  the  fraternity  of  Universalists,  and  to  a 
candid  and  charitable  public,  with  a  most  fervent  prayer  that 
it  may  be  no  injury  to  the  cause  of  religion,  but  that  it  may,  in 
some  small  degree,  be  subservient  to  ^e  advancement  of  the 
truth,  as  it  is  in  Christ  Jesus.  The  Author. 

Columbus,  Warren  Co.,  Pa..  June,  1349. 


INTEODUCTION. 


During  my  residence  in  the  State  of  Michigan,  at  the  ses- 
"sion  of  the  Central  Association  in  Ann  Arbor,  1837,  a  resolu- 
tion was  passed,  requesting  me  to  give  to  the  world  the  me- 
moirs of  my  life,  together  with  a  history  of  the  rise  and  pro- 
gress  of  Universalism  in  the  State  of  New  York,  as  far  as 
connected  therewith  ;  and  the  Clerk  of  the  Association  was 
directed  to  address  me  on  the  subject.  He  immediately  com- 
plied with  the  request ;  and  although  1  was  fully  aware  that 
the  task  would  be,  to  me,  a  severe  one,  aiid  quite  contrary  to 
my  inclination,  yet  the  kind  manner  in  which  the  resolution 
was  got  up,  and  the  persuasive  tone  of  the  communication, 
overcame  my  reluctance,  for  the  moment  at  least,  and  drew 
from  me  an  answer  of  compliance. 

Before  it  appeared  in  the  printed  minutes  of  the  Associa- 
tion, however,  I  began  to  regret  exceedingly  that  I  had  given 
the  least  encouragement  for  any  such  expectation.  I  never 
had  any  ambition  to  appear  before  the  world  as  an  author. 
The  epidemic,  (I  do  not  know  that  I  can  give  it  a  more  ap- 
propriate appellation,)  of  authorship,  which  has  raged  of  late 
years  with  such  alarming  violence  among  the  advocates  of 
our  doctrine,  and  indeed  among  the  would-be  literati  of  the 
world,  both  religious  and  profane,  had  not  as  yet  seized  me. 
Perhaps  the  reason  was,  1  never  thought  myself  qualified  to 
write  profitably,  either  for  the  instruction  or  the  amusement 
of  mankind  ;  indeed,  I  had  little  inclination  to  amuse,  had  1 
the  gift,  unless  I  could.,  with  it,  bestow  something  upon  my 
fellow-creatures  more  profitable. 

I  had  in  early  life  embraced  the  doctrine  of  God's  Univer- 
sal Grace.  I  embraced  it  upon  the  strongest  convictions  of 
incontestibie  evidence — I  embraced  it  with  my  whole  heart, 
and  entered  into  it  with  all  the  zeal  of  an  enthusiast.  I  was 
never  contented  nor  satisfied  until  I  began  to  publish  it  to  the 
world ;  and  I  was  never  so  happy  as  when  proclaiming  in 

B 


18  INTRODUCTION. 

the  ears  of  man,  and  defending,  with  all  the  cnT3rts  of  my  fee* 
Lie  talents,  the  Great  Salvation.  But  still  I  was  of  a  diffi- 
dent  and  retiring  temperament.  1  wished  to  do  my  work  with 
as  little  noise  as  possible — to  make  no  parade,  no  ostentatious 
show  ;  I  wished  not  to  excite  any  particular  notice.  My  de- 
sire was  to  have  my  voice  heard,  my  doctrine  freely  advoca- 
ted and  strongly  defended,  and  myself  unobserved,  and  as 
much  out  of  sight  as  possible.  And,  with  such  feelings  as 
these,  to  attempt  to  write  the  history  of  my  own  life — to  have 
my  nam.e  emblazoned  before  the  world  upon  the  title-page  of 
a  book,  as  its  author ;  and  myself  the  hero  of  the  tale,  re- 
lating my  own  wonderful  adventures,  and  telling  to  the  world 
the  vast  importance  of  my  life ;  appeared  to  me  too  severe  a 
task  to  undertake.  It  looked  too  egotistical  to  a  mind  that 
never  entertained  a  very  exalted  opinion  of  its  own  talents 
or  wisdom.  I,  therefore,  shrunk  from  the  task,  and  was  fast 
coming  to  a  resolution  to  relinquish  it  entirely,  and  let  my 
friends  wait  for  the  events  of  my  life  until  my  biographer 
should  gather  up  such  fragments  as  were  within  his  reach, 
which  he  should  esteem  of  sufficient  interest  to  publish  to  the 
world,  when  a  voice  from  the  East  again  shook  my  resolu- 
tion. 

I  had  many  dear  friends  within  the  limits  of  the  Chautau- 
que  Association,  in  the  State  of  New  York  ;  with  some  of 
whom  1  had  been  intimately  associated  from  the  commence- 
ment of  my  labors  in  that  State,  and  for  whose  judgment  as 
well  as  piety  I  had  the  highest  reverence.  At  the  next  ses- 
sion of  thatbody,  after  the  resolution  calling  for  the  memoirs 
of  my  life  had  been  passed  in  Michigan,  the  council  passed 
a  resolution  to  the  same  effect,  urging  its  importance.  Indi- 
vidual friends,  also,  would  insist  on  the  obligation  I  was  un- 
der to  do  it.  I  had  been  long  in  the  ministry — my  travels  in 
promulgating  the  doctrine  had  been  very  considerable — I  was 
one  of  the  first  who  advocated  the  doctrine  of  Universalism 
in  Central  and  Western  New  York,  and  quite  the  first  who 
devoted  his  whole  time  undividedly  to  the  cause.  There 
were  many  particulars  very  interesting,  at  least,  to  Univer- 
s£l!ist3,  relative  to  the  first  planting  of  the  doctrine  in  that  re- 
gion, which  would  be  inevitably  lost  unless  I  recorded  them, 
for  no  one  else  living  knew  them,  or,  at  least,  knew  them  so 
correctly  as  I  did ;  and  I  must  feel  under  a  deep  obligation, 
for  the  gratification  of  my  numerous  friends,  as  well  as  for 
the  prosperity  of  the  cause  of  divine  truth,  to  give  them  to 


INTRODUCTION.  19 

the  world.  Moreover,  in  despite  of  my  efforts  to  the  contra^ 
ry,  my  name  being  identified  with  the  rise  of  Universalism 
in  the  State  of  New  York,  had  become  known  ahiiost  as  far 
as  the  banner  of  Universal  Grace  waved  in  our  land ;  and 
hundreds  who  had  never  seen  me  were  anxiously  inquiring 
for  the  memoirs  of  my  life,  and  would  never  be  satisfied  with- 
out them.  These,  and  such-like  arguments,  were  urged  to 
induce  me  to  commence  the  work ;  and  they  had  the  effect 
to  produce  a  renewed  resolution ;  and  again  I  promised  my 
friends  that,  if  God  should  spare  my  life  and  health,  and,  in 
his  good  providence,  afford  me  an  opportunity,  I  would  enter 
upon  the  task.  ■ 

But  my  reluctance  led  me  to  defer  the  commencement  as 
long  as  possible,  and  to  accept  of  almost  any  trifling  incident 
as  an  excuse.  My  mind  has  undergone  many  trials  on  the 
subject.  I  know  that  I  am,  and  ever  have  been,  willing,  per- 
fectly willing,  to  encounter  any  labor  within  my  ability  to 
perform,  and  to*  endure  any  privation  that  I  am  capable  of  en- 
during, for  the  advancement  of  the  cause  of  divine  truth  ;  but 
I  am  equally  opposed  to  doing,  or  attempting  to  do,  any  thing 
to  wound  the  cause,  to  deter  its  progress,  or  weaken  its  in- 
fluence. Could  I  do  justice  to  the  cause  ?  Would  the  inci- 
dents of  my  life  honor  it,  or  disgrace  it?  I  had  reason  to 
believe  that  my  labors  had  not  been  wholly  useless ;  indeed, 
I  had  seen  more  fruit,  vastly  more,  than  I  could  have  antici- 
pated. But  v/ould  a  rehearsal  of  these  things  profit  the  cause  ? 
Could  I  adopt  such  a  style  in  relating  them  as  would  be  in- 
teresting and  profitable  ?  I  could  give  a  dry,  unvarnished 
relation  of  facts,  in  such  language  as  I  could  comm.and ;  and 
I  had  many  friends  so  partial  toward  me,  that  I  had  no  rea- 
son  to  doubt  it  would  be  interesting  and  entertaining  to  them ; 
but  would  it  not  be  stale  and  barren  of  interest  to  the  stranger  ? 
Such  were  my  cogitations  ;  and  it  was  with  difficulty  I  could 
come  to  any  conclusion.  In  the  mean  time,  it  became  neces- 
sary, in  the  providence  of  God,  that  I  should  change  the  place 
of  my  residence,  and  remove  from  Michigan ;  and  I  willing- 
ly received  this  as  an  excuse — as  an  indication  of  divine 
Providence,  that  the  memoirs  of  my  life  were  not  called  for 
in  the  world. 

But,  in  my  recent  tour  through  New  York  to  Nev/  Eng- 
land, there  has  been  so  much  said  to  me  on  the  subject— so 
many  inquiries  whether  or  not  the  memoirs  of  my  life  were 
published,  (for  the  thing  had  o^ot  noised  abroad,  even  as  far 


20  I  N  T  R  0  D  IT  C  T  I  0  K. 

as  that,)  or  when  they  would  be  forth-coming,  that  I  began  to 
revolve  the  subject  again  in  my  mind,  and  once  more  to  re- 
solve. I  have,  indeed,  like  Youug's  man  of  the  world,  "  Re- 
solved, delayed — and  chid  my  impious  delay — resolved,  and 
re-resolved;"  and  there  is  quite  a  probability  that  I  "shall 
die  the  -same."  But  I  have,  at  length,  on  this  first  day  of 
January,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  1845,  and  on  the  first  month 
of  my  67th  year,  gone  so  far  as  to  brace  up  my  resolution 
with  all  possible  determination  ;  and,  brushing  up  my  rusty 
memory,  have  gathered  around  me  the  scattered  fragments 
of  my  long — yes,  long  life,  for  Heaven  has  already  length- 
ened out  my  life  far  beyond  my  youthful  expectation — and 
I  have  seated  and  forced  myself  to  the  arduous  and  thank- 
less  task  of  writing  a  book  !  yes,  and  a  book  about  myself! 

0  iempora  !  O  mores  !  But  I  have  taken  my  pen  in  hand, 
and  must  not  look  back  :  it  is  not  my  habit.  1  have  begun  ; 
but  whether  or  not  I  shall  be  able  to  finish,  is  known  only  to 
Him  who  "  calleth  the  things  that  are  not  as  though  they 
were."  Should  I  make  as  tardy  progress  toward  the  comple- 
tion of  my  design,  as  I  have  done  in  fixing  my  resolution  to 
commence  the  work,  my  life  must  be  lengthened  out  far  be- 
yond the  common  age  of  man,  to  enable  me  to  bring  it  to  a 
close  ;  and  death  will  close  the  eyes  of  many  expectants,  ere 
they  behold  the  wonderful  tiling. 

But  how  shall  I  do  it  ?  What  style  shall  I  use,  to  make 
the  world  think  that  I  am  "A  bonnie  gude  writer,  an'  a  muckle 
wise  mon  V  I  hate  egotism,  and  I  hate  prolixity :  and  so 
does  every  body  else.  But  I  sadly  fear  I  shall  commit  my- 
self in  both,  before  I  complete  my  task.  I  would  take  the 
method  of  Dr.  A.  Clarke,  and  write  in  the  third  person  ;  but 
it  would  require  too  much  labor  for  me  to  write  "  The  subject 
of  these  memoirs,''^  when  one  single  letter  would  express  just 
as  much.  But  I  have  serious  fears,  if  I  do  not  adopt  that  style, 
and  this  manuscript  should  ever  be  so  unfortunate  as  to  fall 
into  the  hands  of  the  printer,  he  would  be  compelled  to  pur- 
chase an  extra  supply  of  the  letter  I,  to  meet  the  demand. 
What  shall  I  do,  then  ?  Ah,  I  have  it !  I  will  write  the  truth. 

1  will  write  in  as  brief  and  concise  a  manner  as  I  think  the 
subject  will  admit  of,  and  in  my  own  plain,  homely  style ;  and 
leave  the  result  in  the  hand  of  that  Being  whose  honor  I  re- 
vere, whose  glory  I  seek,  and  whose  approbation  I  desire 
above  all  other  considerations.  I  will  do  this,  and  let  the 
critic  growl,  and  the  connoisseur  curl  his  lip,  if  they  please. 


INTRODUCTION-  21 

My  object  shall  be,  not  merely  to  gratify  my  numerous  and 
dear  friends,  for  whose  happiness  I  would  cheerfully  relin- 
quish my  own  ease  and  encounter  any  privation  and  any  la- 
bor within  the  compass  of  my  ability ;  but  to  advance  the 
truth  of  God,  to  cast,  in  my  old  age,  another  mite  into  the 
treasury  of  the  Lord,  and  to  be,  if  possible,  even  to  my  last 
breath,  instrumental  in  uprooting  those  unhallowed  prejudi- 
ces which  prevent  the  knowledge  and  enjoyment  of  the  truth 
as  it  is  in  Jesus,  engendered  by  a  false  religious  education, 
and  fostered,  I  have  too  much  reason  to  fear,  by  the  time- 
serving policy  of  a  pampered  priesthood ;  and  to  extend  yet 
farther  the  saving  knowledge  of  God's  Universal  Grace  .to  a 
needy  world. 

If  the  publication  of  the  incidents  of  my  life,  connected  as 
they  are  with  the  rise  and  progress  of  Universalism,  will  tend 
to  the  accomplishment  of  this  desirable  object,  I  shall  be  am- 
ply rewarded  for  all  my  toil,  and  for  all  the  solicitude,  almost 
to  vexation,  which  I  have  experienced  since  the  first  intima- 
tion that  such  a  work  was  desired. 

Nathaniel  Stacy« 


CHAPTER  I. 


Parents— Native  place— Their  Occupation— My  father's  marriages— Remo- 
val, to  New  Salem— Commences  fanning— Ignorance  of  agriculture- 
Campaigns  in  the  revolutionary  war— Bunker  Hill— Cherry  Valley — Col. 
Stacy  prisoner— Gideon  Day  killed— State  of  learning ;  no  schools— Ma- 
ternal instruction — Parents  Universalists ;  hearers  of  John  Murray — Uni- 
versahst  Preachers— Mr.  Rich,  Mr.  Lathe,  Mr.  Barnes— Advanced  age 
.  and  death  of  Parents. 

The  world  generally  expect,  when  one  undertakes  to  give 
the  history  of  his  life,  that  he  will  begin  with  an  account  of 
his  pedigree  ;  and  much  of  the  popularity  of  his  book  depends 
upon  his  .lineal  descent.  If  he  can  trace  his  ancestry  back 
through  a  long  line  of  honorables,  to  some  mighty  monarch, 
some  noble  lord,  some  brave  general,  some  profound  philoso- 
pher or  sage,  some  eminent  divine  or  celebrated  poet,  his 
work  is  sought  after  with  insatiable  avidity,  and  swallowed 
without  stopping  to  taste.  But  if  he  be  a  humble,  unassuming 
man,  and  his  ancestors  laid  no  claim  to  honorable  titles, 
great  wealth,  or  high  literary  fame,  people  are  apt  to  exclaim, 
"  What  fellow  is  this  ?"  and  cast  his  book  aside  as  an  unwel- 
come intruder  upon  the  literary  world. 

Alas !  here,  again,  I  am  unfortunate.     I  can  not  trace  my 

"  Ancient,  but  ignoble  blood, 
Creeping  through  scoundrels  ever  since  the  flood  ;" 

but  mu3tbe  content  to  trace  my  origin  only  a  little  way  back, 
from  very  obscure  and  humble  individuals. 

]\Iy  parents  were  both  natives  of  the  town  of  Gloucester, 
Mass.;  and  my  father  was  bred  to  a  seafaring  life.  It  is  well 
known,  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  capes  on  both  sides  of  IMas- 
sachusetts  Bay,  Cape  Ann  and  Cape  Cod,  generally  follow  the 
sea  for  a  livelihood,  and  are  trained  to  it  almost  from  infancy. 
Fishing  on  the  Grand  Banks,  whaling,  and  coasting,  in  their 
proper  seasons,  are  their  employment  from  the  time  they  can 


LIFE    OF   REV.    N.ATHANIEL   STACY.  23 

be  of  any  use  aboard  a  vessel,  until  a2;e  renders  them  inca. 
pable,  or,  growing  weary  of  their  calling,  they  remove  back 
into  the  country.  Such  was  the  occupation  of  my  father. 
He  entered  shipboard  at  the  age  of  seven  years,  and  followed 
a  seafaring  life  until  forty;  passing  through  all  its  stages, 
from  a  cabin-boy  to  that  of  skipper,  or  commander  of  a  fish- 
ing-vessel. His  business  was  fishing  on  the  banks  of  New- 
foundland in  the  proper  season,  and  coasting  the  remainder 
of  the  year.  In  the  course  of  his  life,  he  made  some  foreign 
voyages  ;  but  the  former  was  his  most  constant  employment. 
His  name  was  Rufus  ;  and  his  most  common  appellation,  from 
the  earliest  of  my  remembrance,  by  all  his  familiar  acquaint- 
ances, was  Uncle  Rufus,  His  father's  name  also  was  R,ufus  ; 
and  this  is  nearly  all  I  can  tell  of  his  ancestry.  He  inform- 
ed me  that  he  supposed  he  was  of  Scotch,  or  Irish  descent ; 
but  his  ancestors,  as  well  as  those  of  my  mother,  were  among 
the  earliest  settlers  of  New  England,  and,  for  many  genera- 
tions, had  been  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  their  nativity.  My 
father  was  twice  married.  For  his  first  wife,  he  married 
Elizabeth  Allen,  by  whom  he  had  two  children,  a  daughter 
and  a  son,  who  were  mere  infants  at  the  time  of  her  death. 
He  shortly  after  married  a  second  wife,  by  the  name  of  An- 
na Day,  with  wdiom  he  lived  to  an  advanced  age.  At  the  age 
of  forty,  or  thereabout,  growing  tired  of  a  seafaring  life,  ei- 
ther from  the  gathering  storm  of  the  Revolution,  which  was 
fast  approaching,  or  from  some  other  cause,  he  left  the  sea- 
coast  and  removed  about  one  hundred  miles  back  into  the 
country,  to  the  town  of  New  Salem,  (then  called  Hampshire, 
now  Franklin  Co.,)  which  was  then  very  new  but  rapidly 
being  settled ;  where  he  purchased  a  lot  of  new  land,  and, 
with  all  his  ignorance  of  agricfllture,  commenced  as  a  farmer. 
So  great  was  his  ignorance  of  every  kind  of  land  employ- 
ment, it  may  well  be  supposed  that  he  made  but  slow  progress 
in  his  new  vocation,  and  acquired  but  a  meagre  and  scanty 
living  for  his  growing  family. 

I  have  often  heard  my  mother  tell  an  anecdote,  illustrative 
of  his  profound  ignorance  of  the  nature  of  crops,  which  he 
attempted  to  raise.  She  had  previously  lived  in  the  country 
with  a  brother-in-law,  for  some  years,  and,  being  an  observ- 
ing woman,  had  acquired  quite  a  knowledge  of  agriculture. 
My  father  had  sown  a  small  piece  of  ground  to  flax.  It  had 
come  up  finely,  grew  well,  and  looked  very  promising.  Near 
the  time  when  it  became  ripe  enough  to  pull,  he  one  day 


24  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

came  into  the  house  with  a  sombre  countenance,  quite  cieject- 
eel,  and  remarked  to  her,  "We  shall  have  no  flax  this  year." 
"Why?"  asked  my  mother,  "I  thought  it  looked  well."  "So- 
it  does,'"  he  replied,  "  but  there  is  no  flax  in  it.  I  have  broken 
off  several  stalks,  and  they  are  all  hollow."  My  mother 
could  not  repress  a  hearty  laugh  :  and  informed  him,  that  the 
flax  was  the  bark  of  the  stalk — that  it  did  not  grow  inside. 

His  ignorance  of  farming,  and  the  consequent  disadvan- 
tage he  labored  under  in  performing  every  kind  of  work  per- 
taining thereunto,  together  with  the  troubles  of  the  revolu- 
tionary war  which  soon  followed,  kept  him  in  a  state  of  pov- 
erty ;  and  it  was  with  severe  toil  that  he  was  able  to  provide 
the  absolute  necessaries  of  life  for  his  family.  He  was  call- 
ed out  several  times  in  his  country's  defense.  He  was  a  pa- 
triot, and  an  ardent  friend  of  rational  civil  liberty.  He  was 
in  the  battle  at  Bunker  Hill ;  and  also  at  Cherry  Valley,  when 
it  was  ravaged  and  burnt  by  the  combined  forces  of  the  Tory 
Butler,  and  the  celebrated  Indian  commander  Brandt.  There 
a  brother-in-law  of  his,  Col.  William  Stacy,  was  made  pris- 
oner ;  and  another  brother-in-law,  Gideon  Day,  was  killed ; 
but  my  father  gained  the  fort,  and  escaped.  Col.  Stacy  was 
carried  into  Canada,  prisoner  of  war,  where  he  remained  un- 
til peace  was  settled  between  the  contending  nations,  and  the 
dogs  of  war  called  in.  The  first  event  that  I  can  distinctly 
recollect,  was  the  return  of  Col.  Stacy  from  captivity. 

The  circumstances  which  1  have  briefly  noticed,  together 
with  the  newness  of  the  country,  the  disorganized  state  of  so- 
ciety, or  rather  the  total  absence  of  primary  schools,  prevent- 
ed my  father  from  giving  his  children  that  early  education 
which,  under  other  circumstances,  he  probably  might  have 
done.  My  parents  laid  no  claim  to  learning  ;  but  still  they 
were  not  wholly  uneducated.  They  could  read  and  write, 
and  understood  figures  sufiicient  totransactthe  ordinary  busi- 
ness  of  life;  and  my  father,  as  was  necessary  in  his  business,, 
understood  navigation.  But  the  facilities  for  obtaining  an 
education  in  those  days,  were  not  as  they  are  no^V.  O,  how 
often  have  I  thought,  could  I  have  had  the  privileges  in  my 
youth  that  young  men  now  enjoy,  that  I  too  might  have  known 
.something.  But  my  parents  had  little  time  to  teach  their 
cliildren,  even  as  far  as  they  were  capable.  Their  whole 
time  was  necessarily  engrossed,  day  and  night,  (for  the  mid- 
night lamp  has  often  witnessed,  at  least,  the  toils  of  my  mother,) 
to  provide  their  children  bread,  and  something  to  cover  their 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  25 

bodies,  and  shield  them  from  the  winter's  cold  blast.  And 
how  much  gratitude  do  I  owe  them  !  When  I  think  of  their 
toils,  their  privations,  and  their  solicitude  on  my  behalf,  my 
heart  swells  within  me  almost  to  bursting.  I  am  now  a  pa- 
rent ;  but  never  until  I  sustained  that  character,  could  I  ap- 
preciate their  kindness.  How  little  do  children  think  of  the 
unceasing  solicitude,  the  agonizing  pain  and  anxiety,  that  pa- 
rents endure  on  their  account.  But  my  mother — never  had 
children  a  better  and  kinder  mother — early  endeavored  to  in- 
stil into  our  minds  the  principles  of  reverence  toward  God, 
and  justice,  truth,  and  benevolence  toward  man.  Nor  did 
she  teach  by  precept  alone;  her  example  was  constantly  be- 
fore us.  Her  soul  was  a  fountain  of  benevolence.  She  was 
a  faithful  companion,  the  unwearied  nurse  of  the  sick,  the 
comforter  of  the  afflicted,  and  a  peace-maker  in  her  neigh- 
borhood. I  never  knew  her  to  have  the  least  difficulty  with 
a  neighbor ;  nor  do  I  remember  that  the  tongue  of  slander 
ever  attempted  to  assail  her.  Kind  reader;  call  not  this  ful- 
some panegyric  ;  it  is  but  a  feeble  tribute  to  departed  worth, 
but  the  gentle  breathing  of  the  heart  of  filial  piety  toward  one 
of  the  best  of  parents.  On  each  returning  Sabbath,  at  least, 
long  before  we  knew  a  letter,  our  mother  would  teach  us  the 
Assembly's  Catechism,  and  to  answer  numerous  questions 
from  the  Bible ;  and,  as  early  as  possible,  fitted  us  for  meet- 
ing, and  encouraged  our  attendance  at  church. 

But  my  parents  were  liberal  in  their  religious  sentiments. 
Although  I  knew  it  not  for  many  years — until  Universalist 
preachers  began  to  come  into  our  region  of  country  and  pub- 
lish the  Great  Salvation — they  were  some  of  the  earliest  hear- 
ei's  of  John  Murray,  in  Gloucester,  and  became  rationally 
convinced  of  the  truth  of  his  doctrine.  But  when  they  re- 
liioved  into  the  country,  as  the  doctrine  was  unknown,  or  if 
known  was  very  unpopular,  they  said  nothing  about  their 
peculiar  tenets  ;  attended  the  Congregationalist  meetings,  be- 
came what  were  then  called  half-covenant  people,  had  their 
children  baptized,  and  educated  them  religiously,  in  the  Or- 
thodox school.  But  after  a  lapse  of  some  years,  there  came 
into  our  region,  occasionally,  strange  preachers  of  a  strange 
doctrine,  which  produced  considerable  excitement,  and  called 
forth  all  the  bitter  censures,  denunciations,  and  condemna- 
tions of  the  standing  order  as  they  were  called,  (the  Ortho- 
dox Congregationalist,)  were  capable  of  expressing.  But, 
notwithstanding  their  unpopularity,  and  the  cry  of  heresy, 


26  ME3I0IRS    OF    THE 

delusion,  and  danp;er,  my  parents  would  improve  every  op- 
portunity they  had  to  hear  them.  The  preachers  to  whom  I 
allude  were  Caleb  Rich,  Zephaniah  Lathe,  and  Thomas 
Barnes.  From  this  time,  I  began  to  learn  that  my  parents 
were  Universal ist's  ;  and  they  no  longer  attempted  to  conceal 
their  faith,  but  freely  advocated  it  on  every  proper  occasion. 
And  when  I  became  capable  of  reading,  I  found,  among  the 
few  books  and  pamphlets  of  my  father,  some  of  the  writings 
of  Shippy  Tov/nsend  ;  and  once,  on  his  return  from  a  visit  to 
Cape  Ann,  he  brouf^ht  home  a  volume  of  original  hymns,  by 
James  and  John  Relly.  These  were  all  the  Universalist  books 
I  read,  until  I  became  fully  established  in  the  faith  of  a 
world's  salvation. 

My  parents  both  lived  to  an  advanced  age  ;  and  lived  and 
died  in  the  faith  they  so  early  embraced.  My  father,  by  the 
time  he  arrived  at  middle  age,  lost  his  hearing  to  a  great  de- 
gree. As  early  as  I  can  remember,  it  was  necessary  to  talk 
to  him  very  loud  to  enable  him  to  understand  ;  but  his  sight 
remained  good  until  he  advanced  beyond  eighty.  He  was  a 
man,  though  of  small  stature,  of  a  vigorous  and  healthy  con- 
stitution, of  very  industrious  habits,  and,  uniformly,  while 
able  to  labor,  enjoyed  good  health ;  but  when  his  sight  failed 
him,  his  physical  powers  soon  failed,  and  he  was  reduced  to 
quite  a  helpless  condition.  The  last  time  I  saw  him,  he  was 
84  or  85  years  of  age.  He  took  me  by  the  hand  to  welcome 
me  home;  and  before  he  let  go  my  hand  said,  "  I  hope  I  shall 
die  before  you  leave."'  He  repeated  this  wish  several  times 
during  my  stay ;  and  said,  his  mother  once  told  him  that  she 
hoped  he  would  live  until  he  was  willing  to  die ;  and  then  add- 
ed, "  she  has  had  her  prayer  answered.  I  have  lived  long 
enough — as  long  as  I  can  be  any  comfort  to  myself,  or  any 
body  else;  and  I  now  wish  to  depart."  But  he  lived  several 
years  longer.  He  had  arrived  within  one  month  of  the  com- 
pletion of  ninety  years,  when  he  was  "gathered  to  his  fathers." 

I  never  visited  the  land  of  my  nativity,  after  the  death  of 
my  venerated  father,  until  last  fall:  andlo!  the  destroyer  had 
left  his  foot-prints  there !  The  hand  of  desolation  and  death 
had  been  laid  upon  my  old  acquaintances,  and  a  new  genera- 
tion had  sprung  up  in  their  places,  whom  I  knew  not.  But  a 
solitary  individual  of  my  father's  family  still  remained  in  the 
town — an  aged  widow,  my  half-sister ;  who  remarked  to  me, 
one  day  during  my  visit,  "  This  is  my  birth-day — set  it  down 
in  your  memorandum; — to-day  I  am  eighty-five  years  old." 


LIFE  OF  REV.  NATHANIEL  STACY.  27 

The  rest  of  our  family,  though  mostly  in  the  land  of  the  liv- 
ing, were  widely  scattered,  from  Vermont  to  Illinois. 

After  the  death  of  my  father,  which  occurred  in  February, 
1824,  my  mother  chose  to  spend  the  evening  of  her  life  with 
my  youngest  sister,  who  married  a  man  by  the  name  of  Abel 
Thompson,  and  resided  in  Bridgewater,  Windsor  Co.,  Vt.;  ar- 
rangements were  accordingly  made,  and  she  went  thither; 
where,  in  accordance  with  her  desires,  she  breathed  her  last 
in  the  arms  of  her  daughter.  I  visited  her  twice  only,  after 
her  removal  there.  She,  too,  was  a  person  of  vigorous  con- 
stitution, and  retained  the  use  of  her  physical  and  intellectual 
powers  more  perfect  than  almost  any  other  person  I  ever  knew. 
The  last  visit  I  ever  made  her,  was  during  her  eighty-fifth 
year ;  she  was  then  able  to  ride  around  with  me  among  our 
relatives  and  friends,  had  the  perfect  use  of  her  limbs,  nor 
could  I  discover  that  her  intellectual  faculties  were  impaired. 
Her  memory  was  bright,  and  she  could  relate  events  both  of 
former  and  latter  years  with  equal  facility  and  correctness ; 
and  my  sister  has  informed  me,  that  she  retained  the  use  of 
her  limbs,  and  the  faculties  of  her  mind  to  the  last.  She  de- 
parted this  life,  after  a  brief  sickness,  in  the  month  of  Febru- 
ary, 1837,  in  the  92d  year  of  her  age. 

Thus,  kind  reader,  have  I  given  you  a  brief  account  of  my 
parentage.  And  now  allow  me  to  ask,  what  can  y§u  expect 
to  find  interesting,  instructive,  useful,  or  even  amusing,  in  the 
life  of  an  individual  who  originated  in  such  obscurity,  and  un- 
der such  disadvantageous  circumstances  ?  But  you  have  ask- 
ed for  it,  and  you  shall  have  it ;  though  you  must  not  expect 
that  I  shall  frighten  you  with  an  exposition  of  all  my  follies, 
nor  bewilder  you  with  all  the  eccentric  flights  of  a  wild  and 
volatile  imagination. 


CHAPTER  II. 


Birth  of  the  author— Diminutive  stature— Tenacity  of  early  impressions- 
Deplorable  consequences  of  a  wrong  education — First  schools — Learns 
the  alphabet  in  one  day— School  books— Proficiency — School  teacher-r- 
Specimen  of  pronunciation- First  spelling  book  ;  Dilworth's ;  Perry's  ; 
Webster's— Goes  from  home  to  live— Commits  to  memory  the  third  chap, 
of  Matt.— Eldest  brother  goes  to  Ohio— His  return— Death  of  youngest 
brother,  and  feelings  on  the  occasion — Father  puts  eldest  brother  in  pos- 
session of  all  his  propertj^ — Discontent — Subsequent  course — Goes  an  ap- 
prentice to  a  blacksmith — Health  declines — State  of  health — Hypochon- 
dria— Strange  phantasma — Health  improves — Stature  and  weight — Com- 
mences study  of  arithmetic— Proficiencfy— Religious  convictions— Thoughts 
turned  toward  an  education — Academy — Importunes  his  father  for  his 
freedom— Obtains  it — Resolution — Habit  of  profane  swearing — Cause  of 
reform-^ires  out  to  labor — Wages — Goes  to  Vermont — Enters  as  clerk 
in  a  store — Goes  to  Boston  with  a  drove — Returns  to  New  Salem — Goes 
to  a  common  school — First  term  at  the  Academy. 

3Iy  mother  had  seven  children,  four  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters. They  ranged  in  the  following  order :  Rufus,  Anna, 
Ezekiel,  Martha,  Nathaniel,  Mary,  and  Michael.  The  young- 
est died  at  the  age  of  seven  years ;  the  others  were  all  living 
at  the  commencement  of  the  year  1844.  But  ere  the  earth 
had  completed  her  annual  circuit,  two  of  them,  my  second 
brother  and  second  sister,  slept  in  death.  The  third  son  is  the 
subject  of  these  memoirs.  And — reader,  can  you  believe  it  ? 
— as  I  have  been  informed,  nothing  extraordinary  took  place 
at  his  birth — no  lambent  flame  played  round  his  infant  head, 
presaging  future  greatness — no  wonderful  phenomenon  was 
vilible  in  the  planetary  universe;  but  hisbirth-place  was  alog 
cabin — all  was  still,  and  nature  kept  on  in  her  wonted  course 
peacefully  and  as  undisturbed  as  though  nothing  more  than  a 
common  personage  had  been  introduced  on  this  mundane 
sphere !     Nor  have  I  ever  been  informed  that  there  was  any 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY,  29 

early  development  of  intellectual  genius,  or  greatness ;  or  that 
any  thing  peculiarly  characterized  his  youth,  except  his  di- 
minutive stature,  which  argued  poorly  for  his  future  useful- 
ness. I  have  heard  my  mother — who  was  herself  of  very 
small  stature — say,  that  the  fore  part  of  the  first  pair  of  breeches 
she  made  for  me,  measured  the  exact  length  of  her  middle  fin- 
ger !  Dreary,  indeed,  must  my  future  prospect  in  life  have  been, 
in  the  view  of  my  parents  and  friends.  Of  what  use  could 
stich  a  pigmy  be  in  the  world  ?  But  to  me  it  produced  no 
concern.  I  was  full  of  life  and  glee  ;  and,  I  presume,  a  very 
wayward  and  roguish  child.  Indeed,  I  have  been  so  told; 
and  I  can  well  remember  the  chidings  and  corrections  of  my 
poor  mother,  whose  heart,  no  doubt,  1  have  often  made  bleed 
l3y  my  waywardness.  I  possessed,  I  suppose,  what  phrenolo- 
gists would  call  a  sanguine,  nervous  physical  temperament — 
was  as  light  and  volatile  as  air,  as  nimble  as  a  cat,  and  as  pas- 
sionate as  a  wasp  ;  but  incapable  of  retaining  my  resentment . 
long,  or  meditating  revenge — I  could  strike  and  kiss  the  same 
moment.  And,  attracting  the  notice  of  every  body  who  saw 
me,  by  the  smallness  of  my  stature,  I  became  talkative  and 
saucy  to  every  one.  O,  what  a  mistake  do  many  well-mean- 
ing people  make,  by  talking  to  such  children — by  applauding 
their  roguish  tricks,  and  encouraging  their  boldness  and  im- 
pudence. They  subject  them  to  many  necessary  corrections 
and  chastisements,  and  help  them  to  contract  habits  v^hich,  if 
they  are  ever  so  fortunate  5s  to  abandon,  will,  nevertheless, 
cause  them  much  shame,  and  many  heart-burnings,  and  re- 
quire strong  efforts  to  overcome.  Habits,  formed  in  very  ear- 
ly life,  make  very  lasting  and  almost  indelible  impressions  ; 
and  false  principles,  imbibed  in  youth,  exert  an  influence  al- 
most or  quite  as  lasting  as  life.  A  great  responsibility,  there- 
fore, rests  upon  parents  and  guardians  of  children ;  and  also 
upon  every  individual  who  holds  any  intercourse  with  them, 
cxr  indulges  in  fondling  or  playing  with  them.  It  was  fashion- 
able in  my  early  youth  to  indulge  in  telling  and  listening  to 
stories  about  witches,  hobgoblins,  and  ghosts  ;  and  I  had  a  good 
old  aunt,  whom  Floved  above  all  people  in  the  world,  next  to 
my  mother,  who  possessed  an  extraordinary  faculty  for  telling 
such  stories  ;  and  I  well  remember  my  solicitude  to  hear,  and 
the  vast  delight  I  took  in  listening  to  them,  until  my  hair  seem- 
ed to  stand  erect  on  my  head,  and  my  blood  to  curdle  in  my 
veins ,  and  I  would  not  dare  to  move  five  feet  from  my  friends, 
especially  if  it  were  dark.     I  believed  every  word  true  as  Ho- 


so  MEMOIRS    OP   THE 

ly  Writ ;  and  if  I  stepped  out  of  doors  in  the  dark,  I  expected 
most  likely  to  see  some  apparition,  or  that  old  Nick  would 
come  with  his  cloven  foot  to  carry  me  off  for  some  of  my  ug- 
ly tricks ;  or  that  some  witch  would  stick  forks  into  my  flesh, 
or  make  me  fly  over  the  barn,  or  put  a  witch-bridle  into  my 
mouth,  and  ride  me  off;  for  if  they  could  turn  a  young  calf 
into  a  horse,  and  make  him  jump  over  a  great  river,  they  could 
as  easily  make  a  horse  of  me,  small  as  1  was.  And  to  con- 
firm these  impressions,  some  of  my  earliest  reading  was  the 
"  History  of  New  England,"  comprising  a  detailed  and  cir- 
cumstantial account  of  the  Salem  witchcraft.  And  although 
the  stories  made  me  shudder,  I  would  select  them  to  read,  as 
the  most  entertaining  and  interesting  of  the  whole  history. — 
This  made  me  timorous  ;  it  did  not  reform  me,  but  it  made  me 
a  coward.  When  I  became  quite  a  youth,  and  thought  my- 
self old  enough  to  go  into  company,  if  I  was  caught  out  alone 
after  dark,  I  was  terrified  beyond  measure,  and  constantly 
looking  around  expecting  to  see  some  supernatural  agent  that 
would  injure  me  in  some  way,  or  perhaps  carry  me  off  bodily ; 
and  I  Vv'as  in  indescribable  agony  until  I  reached  home,  or 
found  company.  And  these  impressions  v/ere  indelible.  In 
riper  years,  after  I  became  fully-satisfied  of  the  fallaciousness 
of  all  such  representations,  and  abjured  the  whole  theory  ;  and 
even  after  my  confidence  in  God  and  his  divine  government 
had  given  me  courage  to  go  any  where  and  every  where,  by 
day  and  by  night,  and  to  encounter  any  danger  where  duty 
called ;  I  have  often  detected  myself  under  the  influence  of 
these  early  impressions.  In  approaching  a  dark  swamp  in  the 
dead  of  night,  or  passing  some  dilapidated  and  deserted  build- 
ing, or  going  by  some  burying-ground ;  my-  eyes,  in  spite  of 
my  efforts  to  the  contrary,  would  Avander  in  search  of  some 
ghost.  O,  how  cautious  ought  parents,  and  guardians,  and, 
indeed,  every  body  else,  to  be  in  the  education  of  children, 
not  to  make  such  impressions  upon  their  pliant  minds,  and 
thereby  injure  their  mental  improvement,  and  subject  them  to 
so  much  agonizing  pain.  But  to  return  to  my  narrative  in 
detail.  ^  ^ 

I  had  no  other  chance  for  education  but  such  as  I  have 
named,  until  I  was  seven  years  old.  I  had  never  seen  a  school- 
house,  nor  entered  a  room  where  school  was  taught,  of  any 
description,  nor  had  I  learned  my  letters.  My  mother,  as  I 
have  already  observed,  had  learned  me  many  valuable  lessons, 
the  impress  of  which  has  never  been  entirely  obliterated,  but 


LIFE    OF   REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  81 

has  benefited  me  through  a  long  life ;  as  well  as  some  which 
have  been  a  serious  trouble  to  me  ;  and  she  often  attempted  to 
learn  me  the  alphabet ;  but  my*  heedlessness,  rudeness,  and 
frowardness,    as    often  defeated  her  intentions.     But   now  a 
school  was  to  be  set  up  in  the  neighborhood.  We  had  no  school- 
house — such  a  thing  had  never  been  thought  of;  but  a  neio-h- 
bor,  having  a  tolerably  large  house,  would  prepare  a  room, 
and  a  teacher  was  hired  for  four  weeks !     I  now  began  to  feel 
anxious  to  learn  my  letters,  and  was  highly  elated^  with  the 
idea  of  going  to  school.     I  well  remember  the  day,  when  my 
eldest  brother  took  me  in  hand,  and  learned  me  my  letters ; 
it  was  the  Sunday  previous  to  the  commencement  of  the  schooL 
I  learned  them  all  in  one  day,  and  never  forgot  them  after- 
wards ;  and  I  attended  willingly  and  joyfully  every  day  throuo-h 
the  term,  and  greatly  lamented  when  the  school  closed.     I 
may  presume  I  learned  fast,  considering  the  elementary  books 
used  for  our  instruction,  which  consisted,  exclusively,  of  the 
New  England  Primer,  the  Psalter,  (Psalms  of  David,  in  a  vol- 
ume by  themselves,  purposely  for  the  use  of  schools,)  and  the 
Bible.     You  may  well  conclude  we  were  a  backward  set  of 
scholars,  though  some  were  approaching  the  age  of  twenty  one ; 
but  the  older  members  of  my  father's  family  could  read,  and 
some  of  then7  could  write  and  cypher  a  little  ;  and  this  was 
the  case  with  many  of  the  older  scholars.     The  height  of  my 
ambition  and  pride  may  be  easily  conceived,  when,  before  the 
close  of  the  four- weeks'  school,  I  gained  the  head  of  the  whole 
school  in  spelling.     I  strutted  around,  and  felt  as  important  as 
though  I  measured  six  feet ;  and  ever  after  that  I  was  extremely 
fond  of  school,  and  always  improved  every  opportunity  afford- 
ed me.     Schools  were  set  up,  about  this  time,  in  every  neigh- 
.  borhood  or  district  throughout  the  town,  for  a  shoit  term  in 
the  winter  season  ;  and,  in  some  of  the  most  populous  districts, 
summer  schools  were  taught  by  females.     We  had  uniformly, 
after  this,  a  school  taught  in  our  district  from  one  to  three 
months,  in  the  winter ;  but  never  a  summer  school,  during  my 
minority ;  nor  did  I  ever  attend  a  common  school  one  day  in 
the  summer  season.     But  I  paid  some  attention  to  my  ^ooks 
during  the  interim  of  schools ;  and,  as  the  time  for  the  com- 
mencement of  school  approached,  my  pulse  beat  higher,  and 
I  was  always  one  of  the  first  on  the  ground,  and  never  lost  a 
day,  if  it  was  possible  to  avoid  it,  during  the  term,  were  it  long 
or  short.     There  was  no  play,  no  pastime,  that  could,  in  my  • 
estimation,  equal  the  enjoyriient  of  schooL     This  feeling  con- 


»3-2  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

liiiued  through  the  whole  process  of  obtaining  the  limited  ed- 
ucation  I  acquired.  I  shall  never  forget  the  deep  melancholy 
and  regret  that  I  experienced,  when  I  closed  my  last  term  at  the 
academy,  that  I  could  not  pursue  my  studies  and  continue  in 
school  as  long  as  there  was  any  thing  for  me  to  learn.  But. 
alas  !  I  had  not  the  means,  nor  any  friendly  hand  to  assist  me  ; 
nor  health,  nor  strength  to  obtain  sufficient  means  to  defray 
the  expenses  tli rough  the  routine  necessary,  in  those  days,  to 
acquire  a  liberal  .education.  I  had,  therefore,  to  content  my- 
self  where  I  was,  and  w^ith  tears  left  the  school-room,  and 
bade  farewell  to  academical  studies.     But  to  return. 

My  inclination  for  reading  and  study  was  not  encouraged 
as  much  by  my  father  as  my  mother.  He  thought  it  neces- 
sary to  keep  his  children  all  at  work,  with  all  possible  dili- 
gence, in  order  to  obtain  a  subsistence  ;  and,  indeed,  so  it  Avas. 
He  had  a  sterile  farm,  and  lacked  the  knowledge  of  cultiva- 
ting it  to  the  best  advantage  ;  and  with  all  our  diligence  and 
economy,  we  could  but  just  struggle  through  the  year,  without 
sinking  into  abject  poverty.  He  allowed  us  to  attend  school 
very  steadily  during  its  term  in  our  own  district.  But  alas  for 
our  means  of  efficient  instruction  !  No  school-house  was  built 
for  some  three  or  four  years  after  schools  were  set  up ;  but 
schools  were  kept  in  one  room  of  a  dwelling-hojase,  and  an  il- 
literate neighbor  employed  as  a  teacher,  who  possessed  some 
little  tact  in  the  management  of  children,  but  no  other  quali- 
fication for  a  school-teacher.  Do  you  wish  to  have  a  specimen 
of  his  pronunciation,  and  to  see  the  advantages  I  enjoyed  for 
acquiring  the  rudiments  of  language,  and  imbibing  first  prin- 
ciples ?  You  shall  have  it — a  b,  ab ;  e-h,  eeb,  (pronounced 
long  e,  or  double-e.) — and  so  of  the  rest.  The  letter  z,  we 
were  taught  to  pronounce  ezzarcl ;  consequently,  it  was  a-z, 
azzard  ;  e-z,  ezzard  ;  &c.  There,  reader  !  do  you  not  think 
I  enjoyed  superior  advantages,  in  my  youth,  for  literary  at- 
tainments ?  He  was  a  tolerable  writer,  however,  and  possessed 
some  little  knowledge  of  figures.  He  taught  our  school,  I  be- 
lievg,  not  more  than  three  terms  ;  and  we  were  after  that  priv- 
ileged  with  a  teacher  of  more  correct  elementary  education. 
But  it  takes  children  quite  as  long  to  unlearn  what  they  have 
learned  wrong,  as  it  does  to  learn  all  correctly  in  the  first  place. 
Hence,  the  importance  of  obtaining  competent  teachers  for  the 
instruction  of  our  children ;  who  thoroughly  understand  what 
they  profess  to  know.  Our  new  teacher  had  quite  a  task  to 
correct  our  bad -habits,  and  to  set  us  right.     Spelling-books 


LIFE    OF    HEV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  33 

now  began  to  be  introduced  into  our  school.  The  first  spelling- 
book  I  ever  saw  was  Dilworth's ;  in  which,  in  the  division  of 
words  into  syllables,  he  made  two  syllables  of  Hon — thus,  na- 
lUon,  for  nation.  The  next  was  Perry's.  This  was  the  first 
spelling-book  my  father  ever  bought  for  his  children ;  and  we 
thought,  when  we  got  Perry's  spelling-book,  that  we  soon  should 
become  very  learned  people.  After  this  followed  Webster's, 
with  his  series  of  elementary  books ;  and  we  soon  began  to 
make  some  more  correct  and  profitable  advances.  It  is  but 
reasonable  to  suppose,  however,  that  a  child  possessing  no  bet- 
ter advantages  than  I  did,  attending  school  only  from  one  month 
to  three  in  a  year ;  under  such  teachers,  too,  as  my  first  were, 
and  having  to  apply  my  hands  diligently  to  manual  labor  all 
the  rest  of  the  year — could  make  but  very  slow  progress  in 
learning. 

I  lived  mostly  at  home  with  my  parents ;  but  at  the  age  of 
eleven,  my  father  put  me  out  to  live  with  a  man  in  a  neigh- 
boring  town ;  where  I  lived  one  season ;  or  rather,  I  went  in 
the  spring,  and  remained  until  the  first  of  the  next  winter. — 
But  there  was  no  school  in  that  place  that  I  could  attend ;  and 
as  the  time  approached  for  the  commencement  of  our  school, 
I  became  uneasy ;  and,  taking  advantage  of  the  absence  of 
my  master  and  mistress,  I  packed  up  my  clothes  and  returned 
to  my  father's.  I  complained,  too,  that  they  left  me  alone  too 
much ;  which  they  did.  They  would  frequently  go  from  home, 
and  leave  me  entirely  alone  until  late  in  the  evening,  and  some- 
times all  night;  which,  with  my  timorous  habits,  alarmed  and 
terrified  me  extremely.  But  the  man  never  came  after  me; 
and  I  persuaded  my  parents  to  let  me  remain  at  home — a  mat- 
ter which  was  settled  without  any  difficulty.  There  was  one 
thing  that  occurred,  while  I  lived  in  that  family,  very  much 
to  my  profit ;  and  I  name  it  to  encourage  parents  to  early  teach 
their  children  to  commit  suitable  pieces  to  memory,  especially 
passages  of  Scripture.  The  lady  with  whom  I  lived  was  a 
good  reader,  and  she  also  encouraged  me  to  read  in  my  lei- 
sure moments.  She  had  been  on  a  visit  to  her  brother's.  Dr. 
H.,  of  Pelham ;  and  on  her  return  told  me,  that  the  Doctor 
had  been  trying,  for  a  long  time,  to  make  his  son  John  com- 
mit to  memory  the  third  chapter  of  Matthew,  but  he  could  not 
do  it.  "  Now,"  said  she,  "I  know  you  can  do  it;  and  if  you 
will  learn  it  in  a  week,  I'll  give  you  six  coppers ;  and  besides, 
I'll  brag  of  you  over  John."  This  was  a  great  temptation. 
It  tempted  both  my  acquisitiveness  and  my  ambition.    I  wanted 


534  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

the  coppers,  and  I  also  wanted  to  excel.  I  promised  her  I 
•would  try.  Accordino-ly,  I  did  so,  and  succeeded.  Before 
the  week  expired,  I  had  it  perfectly,  and  never  forgot  it.  I, 
therefore,  gained  the  victory  and  obtained  the  reward.  And 
I  also  obtained  a  greater  benefit  than  either ;  for  it  helped  me 
more  to  learn  to  read,  than  any  thing  I  had  ever  before  done  ; 
and  inclined  me  to  love  to  read  the  Bible,  and  commit  passages 
to  memory.  It  taught  me  how  easy  it  was  to  lay  up  in  my 
memory  such  pieces  as  pleased  me,  both  in  prose  and  poetry ; 
and  I  soon  learned  quite  a  number  of  hymns,  &c.  By  the 
time  I  arrived  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  I  became  a  tolerable  reader 
and  speller,  and  could  write  a«legible  hand.  Our  school,  too, 
was  assvming  a  better  character.  But  an  occurrence  had  ta- 
ken place  in  my  father's  family  and  circumstances,  which  ren- 
dered me  unusually  discontented  and  uneasy. 

It  is  well  known  that,  soon  after  the  revolutionary  war,  and 
the  establishment  of  our  national  independence,  a  number  of 
the  military  officers  entered  into  company  and  purchased  a 
ti-act  of  land  in  Ohio,  called  the  New  England  purchase,  and 
commenced  the  first  settlement  in  that  now-flourishing  State, 
at  Marietta.  Col.  William  Stacy,  my  uncle,  (I  call  him  un- 
cle— he  was  cousin  to  my  father,  and  married  my  mother's 
sister,)  was  one  of  the  company;  and  in  the  summer  or  fall 
of  1788,  according  to  the  best  of  my  recollection,  removed 
there  with  his  family ;  and  my  eldest  brother,  Rufus,  went 
with  him.  This  was  a  source  of  great- anxiet}^  and  disquie- 
tude to  our  parents ;  for  this  new  settlement,  being  on  the  ex- 
treme frontier,  far  removed  beyond  any  other  important  settle- 
ment, was  constantly  exposed  to  the  ravages  of  the  exasperated 
Indians,  who  were  daily  watching  an  opportunity  to  make  in- 
roads upon  them,  and  exterminate  them,  if  possible.  They 
were  under  the  necessity  of  fortifying  themselves  in  the  sure^ 
manner  possible,  of  maintaining  a  constant  guard,  of  keeping 
their  arms  by  them,  day  and  night,  in  all  their  avocations  ; 
and,  at  night,  all  to  collect  and  sleep  within  their  stockades,  or 
fortifications  ;  and,  notwithstanding  these  precautions  and  thei? 
sleepless  vigilance,  the  savages  picked  ofi'  numbers  of  them. 
The  second  year  that  my  brother  remained  there,  the  inhabit, 
aaits  formed  a  resolution  to  plant  a  settlement  some  forty  milo 
up  the  Muskingum  river.  Accordingly,  they  went  up  with  a 
sufficient  force  for  a  guard,  erected  a  block  house,  and  aboul 
forty  young  men  went  on  and  commenced  operations.  They 
established  a  rigid  discipline  among  tliemselves,  and  adoptei^ 


LIFE    OF   REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  ;35 

every  necessary  precaution,  as  they  supposed,  to  secure  them- 
selves against  surprise  by  the  savages.  Two  of  Col.  Stacy's 
sons,  John  and  Philemon,  were  of  the  number.  The  Indians, 
it  is  evident,  watched  their  motions,  but  were  careful  not  to 
show  themselves  until  they  had  lulled  them  into  a  fatal  sense 
of  security.  The  company  began  to  grow  lax  in  their  disci- 
pline, and  became  more  and  more  careless,  until  the  Indians 
came  suddenly  upon  them,  and  killed  the  whole  company,  ex- 
cept two  who  alone  mpide  their  escape  to  Marietta,  and  gave 
the  alarm.  I  said  killed  the  whole  company.  This  is  not 
correct.  Philemon  Stacy  escaped  the  shot  of  the  Indians  by 
crawling  under  a  bunk  in  the  block  house  ;  he  was,  therefore, 
made  prisoner,  and  carried  to  Canada  ;  there  he  was  purchased 
and  liberated  by  a  namesake,  and  sent  back ;  but  died  before 
reaching  his  family  in  Marietta.  Soon  affer  this  melancholy 
transaction,  my  brother,  becoming  discouraged  about  ever  find- 
ing  a  peaceable  home  in  that  country,  returned  to  his  native 
land.  His  return  was  hailed,  by  my  parents,  and  indeed  by 
tlie  whole  family,  as  one  of  the  most  joyful  events  they  had 
ever  experienced.  We  had  all  given  him  up  for  lost;  know- 
ing  his  exposure,  and  hearing  frequently  of  the  depredations 
tlie  Indians  were  making  upon  the  frontier  settlements,  we  sup- 
posed most  probably  he  would  fall  a  prey  to  their  savage  fe- 
rocity. And  what  added  to  our  joyful  excitement,  was  that 
he  came  suddenly  upon  us,  not  having  had  the  least  intimation 
that  he  was  on  his  return  home,  or  that  he  ever  designed  to 
come  home ;  and  supposing,  if  he  were  still  alive,  that" he  was 
seven  hundred  miles  from  us.  We  all  felt  as  though  our  cup 
of  joy  was  filled  to  the  brim — as  though  nothing  could  be  ad- 
ded. But  we  were  soon  made  to  realize,  that  if  our  joy  was 
beyond  increase,  we  were  not  elevated  above  the  reach  of  sor- 
row and  mourning.  In  less  than  one  month  after  this  joyful 
event,  my  youngest  brother,  the  idol  of  the  family,  suddenly 
sickened  and  died ;  and  my  sorrow  now  was  as  excessive  as 
my  previous  joy.  I  was  a  very  sensitive  being,  capable  of 
enjoying  much  and  of  suffering  much ;  and  from  the  moment 
he  was  taken  sick,  I  had  a  presentiment  that  he  would  never 
recover;  and  my  feelings  were  inconsolable — I  remember 
them  well.  Even  before  his  case  was  considered  alarming, 
by  my  parents  or  any  one  else,  ashamed  to  expose  my  feelings 
before  the  family,  I  would  go  behind  the  house  alone,  and 
weep  my  sorrows  there. 

These  events  inclined  my  father  to  make  different  arrange- 


go  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

ments  from  what  he  had  previously  calculated.  His  youngest' 
son,  who  he  undoubtedly  expected  would  be  the  prop  of  his^ 
declining  years,  had  l>een  taken  from  him,  and  his  eldest  son 
had  been,  as  it  were,  almost  raised  from  the  dead ;  and  he  re- 
solved  that  the  latter  should  never  again  leave  him,  if  it  could 
possibly  be  prevented.  He,  therefore,  made  him  a  proposal, 
Avhich  was  accepted  ;  and  that  was  to  give  him,  nw  oldest  bro- 
ther, all  he  possessed  in  the  world,  if  he  would  obligate  him- 
self to  provide  for  him  and  my  nwther  in  old  age.  He,  there- 
fore, gave  him  a  deed  of  his  farm,  together  with  all  his  stock, 
farming  utensils,  &c.,  and  took  a  lease  back,  during  the  life 
of  himself  and  my  mother.  At  the  same  time  he  gave  my 
second  brother,  who  had  arrived  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  his 
time  ;  but  made  no  provision  for  me,  only  I  was  to  remain  at 
home  and  work,  without  any  obligation  on  the  part  of  my  bro- 
ther, either  written  or  verbal,  to  give  me  a  cent,  or  provide  me 
with  apparel,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one.  My  brother  soon 
married,  and  began  to  have  a  family,  with  a  great  prospect  of 
having  a  numerous  one,  as  actually  proved  to  be  the  case. — 
Young,,  inconsiderate,  and  giddy  as  1  was  supposed  to  be,  and 
really  was,  I  soon  ]>egan  to  have  some  serious  thoughts  and 
reflections  on  my  dreary  prospects.  I  had  slender  opportunity 
for  schooling ;  must  stay  at  home  ancf  work  hai'd  for  my  bro- 
ther eight  years ;  and  yet  he  was  under  no  obligation .  to  give 
me  any  thing,  not  even  a  suit  of  clothes,  unless  he  chose  to  do 
so.  And,  indeed,  I  saw  but  little  prospect  of  his  being  able, 
with  all  his  diligence  and  economy,  to  do  more  than  to  support 
his  own  family,  and  provide  for  our  parents.  And  this  was 
probably  all  he  ought  to  do ;  for  he  had  but  a  small  patrimony 
from  my  father:  one  hundred  acresof  inferior  land,  with  poor 
buildings,  and  but  little  improvements  ;  a  small  stock  of  cattle, 
and  a  slender  set  of  farming  utensils,  comprised  the  whole. 
This  was  the  cause  of  my  uneasiness ;  and,  as  I  now  ap- 
proached the  age  of  fourteen,  I  began  to  importune  my  fa- 
tlier  and  brother  to  put  me  to  some  trade  ;  my  mother  joined 
her  voice  with  mine,  and  we  prevailed.  Though  small  in 
stature,  I  had  a  pretty  good  constitution,  and  had,  thus  far, 
been  healthy.  Different  trades  were  sfwken  of,  but  I  had  little 
choice ;  I  wanted  some  trade,  and  I  liked  the  blacksmith's  as 
well  as  any.  I  would  have  preferred  obtaining  an  education ; 
but,  under  present  circumstances,  that  was  hopeless :  my 
father  had  no  great  taste  for  it,  had  he  been  able,  and  my  bro- 
ther had  as  much  as  he  could  well  turn  his  hands  to.     A 


LIFi;    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  37 

place  was,  at  length,  found  with  a  blacksmith  ;  and  I  went  otf 
with  a  light  and  cheerful  heart  to  my  new  home,  with  sweet 
hope  sparkling  bright  before  me.  Phrenologists  say  I  have 
a  pretty  large  development  of  hope,  and  I  presume  that  is 
the  case ;  for  I  have  lived  on  hope,  rather  than  fruition,  the 
greater  part  of  my  life  ;  at  least,  in  respect  to  temporalities ; 
but  I  have  been  happy,  or  have,  in  the  aggregate,  enjoyed 
more  happiness  than  unhappiness. 

I  found  my  new  home  agreeable,  a  worthy,  steady  man  for 
a  master,  and  a  kind  and  affectionate  woman  for  a  mistress. 
She  was  a  second  wife,  and  had  no  children  ;  but  my  master 
had,  by  a  previous  marriage,  a  daughter  a  little  older  than 
myself,a  fine  and  pleasant  girl,who  alwaystreated  me  as  kindly 
as  a  sister  could  have  done  ;  and  I  spent  the  winter,  (I  went  in 
the  fall  season,)  very  pleasantly.  I  worked  in  the  shop  morn- 
ings and  evenings,  and  went  to  school  days.  I  was  lively 
and  buoyant,  fond  of  company ;  and  they  indulged  me  in 
visiting,  associating,  and  playing  with  the  youth  of  my  own 
age,  with  whom  I  soon  formed  happy  and  agreeable  acquaint- 
ances. This  was  one  of  the  happiest  winters  of  my  youth- 
ful days.  But,  on  the  next  spring,  my  health  began  to  fail ; 
before  midsummer  I  was  wholly  unable  to  work ;  and  my 
mother  came  and  took  me  home.  For  several  succeeding 
summers,  my  health  failed  me  so  that  I  was  unable  to  labor 
for  the  most  part  of  the  time.  In  the  fall  season,  my  strength 
would  recruit,  and  I  enjoyed  very  tolerable  health  through 
the  winter ;  but  as  soon  as  warm  weather  commenced,  I  again 
sunk  into  a  feeble  and  sickly  condition.  It  was  the  opinion 
of  many  of  my  friends,  that  I  was  consumptive,  and  would 
live  but  a  short  time  ;  and  the  physician  to  whom  they  applied 
expressed  the  same  opinion  to  them.  I  was  not  ignorant  of 
their  opinion;  and  it  had  a  tendency,  no  doubt,  to  make  me 
exceedingly  nervous  and  hypochondriacal.  I  dreaded  the 
approach  of  night ;  it  seemed  as  though  the  curtains  of  death 
were  drawn  around  me  ;  for  I  had  no  expectation  that  I  should 
live  to  see  the  light  of  another  day.  I  would  plead  with  my 
mother  not  to  go  to  bed ;  and  she,  always  disposed  to  indul- 
gence, would  sit  by  me  hour  after  hour  when  her  wearied 
frame  required  rest  and  sleep.  O,  how  often  have  I  called 
to  remembrance  her  maternal  kindness,  while  my  heart  has 
bled  with  conscious  remorse  at  the  recollection  of  my  own 
ingratitude  and  folly  !  We  feel  impatient  with  people  labor- 
ing under  hypochondria,  and  vexed  at  their  conduct ;  for  it 


3^  I^IEMOIRS    OF    THE 

really  seems  to  us  as  though  they  might  reason  with  them- 
selves and  overcome  it,  and  banish  those  strange  vagaries 
from  their  minds.  And  it  now  setms  to  me  as  though  /  might 
have  done  it:  and  indeed  it  seemed  so  then,  each  morning. 
For  when  I  awoke  in  the  morning,  and  found  myself  in  the 
land  of  the  living,  and  saw  the  rising  sun  smile  upon  the 
earth,  and  all  nature  reviving  and  rejoicing  under  his  genial 
influence  ;  and  the  whole  animal  creation  rejoicing  and  happy, 
luy  own  feelings  partook  of  the  exhilarating  influence:  I  felt 
cheerful,  and  could  join  in  the  laugh  at  my  strange  vagaries 
xDf  the  last  evening,  and  verily  thought  that  I  should  no  more 
experience  them.  But,  alas  I  when  the  sun  had  passed  his 
meridian  and  began  to  sink  in  the  west,  an  irresistible  mel- 
ancholy would  invariably  creep  upon  me  ;  and,  as  the  dark- 
ness of  the  night  closed  in,  in  despite  of  all  my  efforts  to  re- 
sist it,  my  soul  would  sink  in  the  horrors  of  despair,  and  I  felt 
as  though  the  frost  of  death  had  seized  upon  the  fountain  of 
life.  It  was  a  reality  to  me  then,  and  continued  so,  until 
wearied  and  exhausted  nature  sank,  and  the  light  of  another 
morning  dispelled  the  fearful  gloom.  O,  how  much  did  I 
sufler  !  and  hovv  much  do  others  suffer  under  that  strange  and 
soul-chilling  disease.  "We  do  not  compassionate  them  enough. 
To  sho'.v  its  strange  operations,  I  must  be  indulged  in  relating 
an  incident.  ?>Iy  mother  had  gone  from  home,  and  was  to  be 
absent  all  night.  This  was  dreadful  to  me,  for  it  seemed  as 
though  I  could  not  live  an  hour  out  of  her  presence — and  no 
one  else  could  have  the  patience  with  me  that  she  exercised. 
My  eldest  sister  was  at  home,  but  I  could  not  prevail  on  her 
to  sit  up  with  me  as  long  as  my  mother  had  done — she  hurried 
me  off  to  bed,  with  all  the  fearful  apprehensions  of  immediate 
death  upon  me  !  I  lay  trembling  a  while;  but,  at  length, 
dropped  to  sleep.  My  sleep,  however,  was  short — I  awoke 
— it  was  dark,  and  no  living  being  was  to  be  seen  !  I  verily 
believed  I  was  dying — nearly  in  the  last  struggle  of  expiring 
nature.  I  leaped  from  my  bed,  ran  to  where  my  sister  slept, 
and  begged  of  her  to  get  up  and  make  me  some  hot  drink,  for 
I  was  certainly  dying  !  nor  would  I  be  refused,  nor  give  her 
any  peace,  until  she  complied.  After  she  had  made  me  the 
tea — it  was  a  matter  of  indifference  w^hat  kind — I  found  I  was 
not  yet  dead ;  and  consented  to  go  to  bed,  where  I  slept  qui- 
etly until  the  next  morning,  when  I  could  join  in  the  laugh 
about  it,  as  heartily  as  any  one  else. 

These  feelings  are  as  strange,  as  mysterious,  as  un account  - 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL     STACY.  39 

able  to  me  now,  and  were  even  then,  as  they  are  to  any  one 
who  never  experienced  them ;  but  they  were  solemn  realities 
to  me  at  the  time.  I  thought,  in  the  morning,  that  I  should 
no  more  experience  them.  I  believed  that  I  could  success- 
fully resist  them,  and  I  was  resolved  to  do  it  ;  but  when  night 
came,  their  death-like  feelings  again  assailed  me,  and  I  could 
no  more  resist  them,  than  I  cpuld  prevent  the  setting  of  the 
sun.  •  The  bare  recollection  of  these  scenes  is  appaling  ;  and 
they  are  as  fresh  in  my  memory  as  though  they  were  the 
transactions  of  the  last  night.  The  terrific  phantoms,  the 
ghostly  visages  that  surrounded  me,  the  frightful  chasms  that 
yawned  before  me,  the  ponderous  mountains  of  horrid  dark- 
ness  which  were  about  to  roll  upon  me,  were  enough  to  cur- 
dle the  blood  in  the  stoutest  heart  !  I  sometimes  slept  with 
my  brother,  and  as  I  saw  these  fearful  objects,  I  would  often 
cringe^and  curl  up  to  his  back,  till  he  would  fret,  and  push 
me  off;  but  I  dare  not  tell  him  what  I  saw  ;  for  I  knew  he 
would  only  laugh  at,  and  deride  me. 

I  have,  perhaps,  been  tediously  minute  in  describing  these 
phantasma,  and  my  feelings  unjer  them  ;  but  I  have  done  it, 
kind  reader,  in  Uie  hope  that  it  may  excite  commiseration  for. 
the  unhappy  victim  of  them,  and  soften  that  harshness  of  judg- 
ment and  treatment  which  they  are  too  apt  to  meet  with  from 
those  who  are  so  fortunate  as  to  escape  that  unhappy  expe- 
rience. I  know  not  that  there  was  more  than  one  soul  living 
that  really  pitied  my  sufferings  ;  and  that  was  my  mother. 
Ah,  mother !  how  much  is  comprehended  in  that  endearing 
name  I  Who  can  endure  as  much  as  a  mother  for  her  child  ? 
Who  can  exercise  that  unremitted,  that  untiring  patience  ? 
Who  can  love  as  strongly,  as  ardently,  as  enduringiy  !  Who 
can  forgive  follies  and  crimes,  and  overlook  insults  and  in- 
dignities like  a  mother  !  Would  to  God  I  had  known",  at  that 
age,  as  much  of  the  strength  and  nature  of  a  mother's  love 
as  I  think  I  have  since  learned — could  I  willingly  have  caused 
her  one  sigh,  one  groan,  one  tear  ?  Alas,  my  "folly,  my  for- 
wardness caused  her  many  ! 

For  something  like  three  summers,  my  health  was  exceed- 
ingly miserable.  1  would  gain  a  little  in  the  cold  season  and 
was  able  to  attend  school  ;  but  in  the  summer  I  became  ema- 
ciated, and  reduced  to  a  mere  skeleton.  I  grew  but  little,  as 
may  be  well  supposed,  when  the  reader  is  informed  that  at  the 
age  of  eighteen  I  weighed  but  eighty  pounds.  But  from  that 
?ime— and  indeed  from  the  age  of  seventeen,  mv  health  begai; 


40  :vIE3I0IRS    OF    THE 

greatly  to  improve  ;  my  hypochondria  left  me  entirely  ;  anci 
I  gradually  gained  health  and  strength  until  I  possessed  a 
healthy,  firm  and  vigorous  constitution,  and  was  able  to  en- 
dure as  much  labor  and  fatigue  as  almost  any  other  person, 
I  gained  in  stature,  too  ;  but  never  arrived  at  an  enormous 
size,  as  the  greatest  number  of  pounds  I  ever  weighed  was 
only  125  ! 

The  winter  after  I  left  the  place  v/here  I  was  apprenticed 
to  a  trade,  I  was  able  to  attend  school,  and  to  apply  myself 
very  closely  to  study.  I  then  began  to  study  arithmetic. 
The  book  at  that  time  mostly  in  use  in  common  schools,  as  well 
as  in  academies,  was  Pike's  Abridgment  ;  and  that  was  the 
book  I  used.  My  teacher  was  a  very  good  arithmetician, 
and  he  took  unbounded  pains  with  me.  I  began  in  simple 
addition,  went  to  school  but  three  months,  and  closed  in  single 
position.  But  my  evenings,  as  well  as  days,  were  devoted 
to  study  ;  and  many  of  them  in  company  with  my  teacher, 
who  was  always  ready  to  instruct  me.  I  saw — I  felt  the  ne- 
cessity of  a  close  application,  and  a  diligent  improvement  of 
my  time  :  and  my  teacher  boasted  of  me,  which  raised  my 
ambition  and  stimulated  exertions  to  excel.  ^ly  parents  could 
not  afford  me  candles  to  study  by  night  ;  but  I  would  collect 
pine  knots  to  make  a  light  on  the  hearth,  and  then  lie  down 
on  my  breast  with  my  book  and  slate  before  me,  and  then 
cypher  for  hours.  This  was  the  only  school  term  that  I  ever 
devoted  to  arithmetic  ;  but  together  with  other  studies,  I  occa- 
sionally learned  it,  both  in  common  school  and  the  academy, 
and  became  so  familiar  with  Pike's  rules  and  characters,  that 
I  could  take  his  book,  and,  without  any  other  instruction,  an- 
swer any  question  throughout  its  pages.  In  the  winter  of 
1803,  I  taught  a  district  ^^chool  in  the  town  of  Worcester, 
jMass.  Two  young  men  came  to  me  and  wished  to  enter 
school.  I  had  previously  learned  that  they  had  both  been 
school-teachers,  and  observed  to  them  that  I  could,  probably, 
be  of  little  or  no  benefit  to  them,  as  I  made  no  pretensions  to 
the  higher  branches  of  literature  ;  and  enquired  what  branches 
they  wished  to  pursue-  They  replied,  English  grammar  and 
arithmetic.  I  asked  them  how  far  they  had  cyphered  ?  They 
replied,  through  Pikes^s  Abridgment.  •'•  Well,  (I  said,)  that  is 
as  far  as  I  make  any  pretensions,  and  I  cannot  engage  to  teach 
you."  They  modestly  observed,  they  did  not  come  to  impose 
on  me,  nor  on  the  school  ;  they  wished  to  review  their  studies, 
and  doubted  not  that  .1  could  be  of  benefit  to  tliem.     They 


LIFE  OF  REV.  NATHANIEL  STACY.  41 

came  ;  and  brought  with  them,  Pike's  fall  volume.  I  soon 
found  that  they  needed  much  instruction  in  branches  that  they 
had  already  studied,  and  attempted  to  teach  ;  and  when  I  found 
them  approaching  the  extent  of  my  arithmetical  knowledge,  I 
borrowed  one  of  their  books,  and  found  I  could  study  enough 
in  one  evening  to  last  them  a  whole  week  ;  and  had  no  diffi- 
culty in  teaching  them  through  the  whole  term.  But  to  re- 
turn to  my  narrative  : 

My  health  was  such,  that  I  gave  up  all  expectation  of  being 
ever  able  to  learn  the  blacksmith's  trade,  or  follow  it,  if  1 
could  learn  it  :  and  indeed  I  had  little  expectation  of  living 
many  years.  I  thought  much  of  death,  and  underwent  many 
fearful  apprehensions  in  regard  to  futurity.  I  knew  that  I 
was  a  sinner — I  had  been  taught  so,  and  I  felt  the  conviction 
of  its  truth  ;  and  became  fully  sensible  that,  while  in  sin, 
there  was  no  hope  of  happiness  here  or  hereafter.  But  how 
to  obtain  deliverance,  I  knew  not.  I  wished  to  be  religious  ; 
but  religion,  as  I  had  been  taught,  was  gloomy  and  forbidding 
— it  was  not  desirable  to  live  by  ;  we  only  needed  it  when  we 
came  to  die.  It  would  spoil  all  our  happiness  in  life  ;  but 
without  it  we  could  not  be  happy  after  death.  It-  required  us 
to  renounce  all  recreations,  however  civil  and  innocent  they 
might  appear  ;  to  suppress  all  youthful  vivacity,  and  main- 
tain in  the  spring-tide  of  life,  the  gravity  of  age  !  My  nature, 
both  the  physical  and  moral  constitution  which  heaven  had  be- 
stowed upon  me,  would  not  admit  of  such  a  course  ;  and  with 
my  utmost  exertions  I  could  not  attain  to  it.  I  was  naturally 
buoyant,  full  of  life  and  vivacity,  and  when  not  depressed 
with  the  fearful  malady  before  named,  (hypochondria,)  I  was 
cheerful,  and  even  vain,  in  spite  of  every  eftbrt  to  be  other- 
wise. This  was  a  source  of  great  disquietude,  and  discour- 
agement. I  began  seriously  to  think  that  religion  was  infi- 
nitely beyond  my  reach,  and  I  must  be  a  reprobated  heir  of 
future  woe  !  I  had  the  opportunity,  to  be  sure,  of  hearing  oc- 
casionally a  discourse  from  some  one  of  the  Universalis! 
preachers,  before  named  ;  for,  as  I  have  remarked,  my  pa- 
rents went,  and  they  suffered  their  children  to  go  likewise  ; 
and  I  would  at  the  time,  receive  some  encouragement  ;  but 
my  judgment  was  feeble  ;  I  had  not  power  to  shake  off  the 
prejudices  of  education,  and  I  dare  not  trust  my  judgment, 
nor  indulge  in  hope.  I  had  been  tauglit  that  I  was  natural, 
and  could  not  discern  spiritual  things  ;  for  I  was  born  totally 
depraved,  and  must  have  a  radical  change  of  nature  before  I 


42  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

could  be,  in  the  least  degree,  permitted  to  trust  my  own  judg- 
ment in  religion  or  spiritual  things.  Under  these  impres- 
sions, and  with  the  prospect  of  an  unchangeable  eternity  at 
hand,  it  may  be  well  supposed  that  my  feelings  were  inde- 
scribable, and  my  sufferings,  at  times,  almost  beyond  endur- 
ance !  My  disease  lingering,  but  beyond  the  skill  of  the 
physician — my  body  wasting  and  drawing  near  the  grave, 
and  not  a  gleam  of  hope  to  light  up  the  pathway  through  the 
<Iark  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death — 

"  But  darkness,  death,  and  long  despair, 
Reign'd  in  eternal  silence  there  I" 

I  believed  in  God — I  believed  in  a  future  existence,  or 
thought  I  did — I  had  been  so  taught.  I  tried  to  reverence 
the  divine  name  ;  but,  alas  !  my  reverence  was  mingled  with 
slavish  fear.  I  .looked  upon  God  as  an  angry,  vindictive 
judge,  who  would  sentence  me  to  everlasting  burnings  for 
sin,  and  for  not  performing  that  which  I  was  totally  unable  to 
perform,  without  his  special  grace,  Avhich  he  had  seen  fit  to 
withhold  !  Oh  how  often,  when  retrospectieg  this  part  of  my 
life,  and  calling  to.  remembrance  those  exercises  of  mind, 
those  agonizing  horrors,  have  I  groaned  in  bitterness  of  sou! 
over  the  false,  the  perverse,  the  wicked  education  of  chil- 
<iren  !  How  they  have  been  taught  to  look  upon  the  best,  the 
dearest,-  the  tenderest  Friend  that  high  Heaven  can  bestow, 
even  Heaven  itself,  as  the  most  implacable  and  inexorable 
enemy  !  How  the  uncreated  fountain  of  changeless  love 
has  been  covered  over  with  the  murky,  impervious  cloud  of 
malignity  I  and  the  pliant  and  susceptible  mind  has  been 
driven,  with  fearful  apprehensions,  from  that  bosom  in  which 
alone  it  could  find  peace,  and  be  joyful !  I  have  wondered, 
from  my  soul,  that  there  are  not  ten  thousand  religious  mani- 
acs in  the  world,  where  there  is  only  one.  And  the  deplora- 
ble consequences  arising  from  a  false  religious  education 
have  fixed  my  zeal  in  the  cause  of  divine  truth,  and  led  me 
to  more  unwearied  exertions  to  disabuse  the  human  under- 
standing  of  its  fatal  errors,  and  root  out — out  of  the  world, 
these  blasphemous  creeds,  the  fruitful  source  of  the  false  re- 
ligious education  of  our  youth. 

As  my  health  recruited,  and  I  began  to  rise  above  the 
phantasma  of  hypochondria,  my  mind^  acquired  its  regular 
buoyancy  and  cheerfulness,  and  those  agonizing  fears  con- 
eerning  my  future  destiny  gradually  wore  off.     I   began  to 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  43 

entertain  hopes  of  living  awhile  longer;  and  although  I  still 
felt  unsafe,  unprepared  to  die,  I,  hoped  to  have  opportunity  to 
make  preparation  ere  the  awful  hour  should  come.  I  was 
uncommonly  fond  of  youthful  company,  and  of  all  the  recre- 
ations and  amusements,  called  civil,  practiced  by  young 
people  in  those  days;  in  which  I  indulged  with  as  much  hi- 
larity as  my  companions.  But  in  my  retired  moments  I 
found  sufficient  subjects  for  serious  thought  and  reflection, 
not  only  in  regard  to  the  future,  but  the  present.  Here  I  was 
again,  at  work  with  my  brother,  as  far  as  I  was  able  ;  and  no 
calculations  made  by  me,  or  for  me  by  any  body  else,  in 
regard  to  future  livelihood  or  m-eans  of  support.  I  had  given 
up  trying  to  learn  a  trade,  from  want  of  health  and  bodily 
strength  sufficient  to  work  at  it ;  and  I  was  unable  to  perform 
any  kind  of  labor  equal  to  the  generality  of  boys  of  my  age  ; 
nor  was  there  much  encouragement  to  hope  that  I  ever  should 
be  stronger.  My  thoughts  and  desires  were,  therefore,  di- 
rected toward  an  education  sufficient  to  enable  me  to  obtain 
some  profession,  or  means  of  livelihood  without  manual  labor. 
I  had  no  friend  who  was  able  and  willing  to  assist  me ;  I  per- 
suaded myself,  however,  that  if  I  could  prevail  on  my  father 
to  give  me  my  time,  I  could  get  along  some  way.  I  could 
work  some,  earn  a  little  ;  and  I  knew  that  my  mother  would 
aid  me  all  she  could — would  help  me  at  least  to  a  few  arti- 
cles of  clothing,  and  I  could  do  with  as  few  as  possible  ;  I 
could  manage,  if  my  health  continued  to  improve,  so  as  to  go 
a  term  to  the  academy  ;  and  this,  I  hoped,  would  enable  me 
to  teach  a  common-school ;  and  then  I  should  have  better 
means  of  prosecuting  my  studies.  There  was,  a  short  time 
previously,  an  academy  opened  in  our  town,  which  is  still  in 
existence,  aud  has  proved  a  valuable  institution.  The  legis- 
lature granted  to  the  town  a  tract  of  land  in  the  then  province 
of  Maine,  for  the  support  of  the  academy ;  and  when  the 
proceeds  of  the  land  became  available,  it  was  to  become  a 
free-school  for  the  children  of  the  town ;  but  those  benefits 
did  not  become  available  during  my  minority. 

After  reflecting  upon  and  maturing  my  plan,  I  laid  siege 
to  my  father,  with  all  the  earnestness  and  zeal  that  I  supposed 
the  importance  of  my  design  justified,  to  give  me  my  time. 
He  at  first  ridiculed  the  idea ;  but  I  have  always  been  pretty 
persevering  and  untiring  in  the  pursuit  of  any  object  which  I 
had  determined  on,  and  which  I  verily  believed  was  justifia- 
ble— was  right ;  and  I  persevered  until  I  probably  were  oui 


44  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

his  patience,  and  finally  obtained  my  object.  And  now  be- 
hold  a  yonth,  not  quite  seventeen  years  of  age,  with  health 
and  strength  not  sufficient  to  enable  him  to  do  the  moiety  of 
the  work  of  some  boys  at  twelve,  not  weighing  over  seventy- 
four  pounds — strut  out  into  the  world,  a  man  for  himself!  But 
you  may  rest  assured  I  felt  as  large  as  life.  I  had  obtained 
my  liberty — I  was  my  own  man,  and  could  pursue  my  own 
course,  and  my  own  object,  without  the  interference  of  any 
body.  The  world  appeared  bright  before  me  ;  my  health 
was  improving ;  and  hope  swelled,  in  my  youthful  bosom, 
mountain  high.  I  built  castles  in  the  air,  without  number ; 
for  if  one  exploded  before  it  arose,  I  had  another  immediately 
to  supply  its  place.  But,  young,  frivolous,  and  inexperienced 
as  I  was,  I  in  the  outset  adopted  some  rules  for  my  future 
conduct,  and  among  them  one  to  which  I  have  inviolably  ad- 
hered through  life,  thus  far ;  which  was,  never  to  allow  my- 
self, on  any  occasion,  to  make  bets,  nor  gamble  in  any  form, 
nor  play  at  any  games  of  chance  for  any  earthly  considera- 
tion.  And  this  resolution,  formally,  and  seriously,  and  reli- 
giously made  at  the  commencement  of  my  career  in  life,  has 
been  of  the  utmost  advantage  to  me ;  for  whenever  a  tempta- 
tion of  the  kind  presented  itself,  my  solemn  resolution  came 
up  before  me,  and  appealed  to  my  conscience  with  sufficient 
force  to  save  me  from  this  vortex  of  ruin,  both  of  body  and 
soul.  I  had  learned,  while  very  young,  to  play  at  cards  for 
amusement,  which  was  a  very  popular  practice ;  and  although, 
after  forming  the  foregoing  resolution,  I  did  occasionally  in- 
dulge in  this  amusement,  yet  I  never  did  in  a  single  instance 
violate  this  solenm  engagement,  which  I  might  have  done  had 
it  not  been  for  that  timely  precaution ;  for  I  had  frequent 
temptations  set  before  me.  But,  though  I  was  thoughtful  and 
fortunate  enough  to  avoid  one  evil,  I  was  not  equally  so  in 
every  other  respect.  I  was  now  a  man,  or  was  to  act  as  a 
man,  and  must  therefore  assume  manly  habits ;  and  among 
the  most  important,  and  most  easily  acquired,  was  that  of  pro- 
fane  swearing.  And  although  I  had  been  forbidden  to  prac- 
tice it,  and  had  never  been  accustomed  to  hear  it  in  my  fa- 
ther's family,  yet  I  was  now  at  liberty,  Avas  in  the  world  for 
myself,  and  must  try  to  act  like  other  people.  Alas  for  the 
habits  and  customs  of  mankind  !  If  tliey  would  reflect  seri- 
ously upon  the  vulgarity,  the  folly,  not  to  say  the  wickedness 
of  profane  swearing — if  they  would  consider  tlie  pernicious 
effects  of  their  examples  upon  unthinking  youth,  upon  the 


LIFE    OF     REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  45 

rising  generation,  they  would  resolutely  reject  the  habit,  and 
hold  it  in  the  utter  abhorrence  it  so  justly  demerits.  But  be- 
cause men  indulge  in  it,  boys — thoughtless  boys,  think  that 
to  be  like  men  they  must  swear  too  !  This  certainly  was  the 
case  with  me.  And  although  it  was  with  some  difficulty  I 
could  acquire  the  habit,  (for  I  really  had  conscientious  scru- 
ples about  it — my  religious  feelings  instilled  by  early  educa- 
tion, and  fostered  by  a  long  season  of  feeble  health,  were  not 
wholly  obliterated,)  I  at  length  prevailed,  and  became  a  tol- 
erable adept  at  harsh  language.  True,  I  could  not  go  as  far 
as  some,  and  even  some  of  my  own  age.  I  could  not  take 
oaths.  My  reverence  and  fear  of  God  would  not  permit  me 
to  lightly  and  irreverently  use  the  sacred  name ;  but  I  could 
say,  swear,  curse  it,  and  damn  it,  with  a  pretty  good  grace. 
But  still  not  this,  without  compunctions  of  conscience,  and 
often  very  unhappy  feelings  after  I  had  done  it ;  and  I  have 
been  seriously  led  to  question  whether  or  not  any  one  ever 
could.  I  have  wondered  at  the  infatuation  of  men,  in  pursu- 
ing  a  course  so  unnecessary,  so  impolitic,  so  pernicious  in  its 
effects,  and  which  is  always  followed,  I  believe,  with  so  much 
mental  pain.  But  I  did  not  follow  it  a  great  while.  I  met 
with  a  clieck  from  an  unexpected  source,  which  made  me 
ashamed  and  entirely  broke  up  my  habit.  1  was  at  work  with 
a  man  who  I  supposed  would  be  pleased  with  some  big  and 
manly  words.  My  work  vexed  me  a  little,  and  I  damned  it 
with  all  my  might.  He  dropped  his  work,  and  looked  up  re- 
provingly and  said,  "  Swear  not  at  all."  I  felt  rebuked,  mor- 
tified,  and  ashamed ;  and  said  within  myself.  If  he  is  not 
pleased  with  such  words,  surely  no  one  will  be  ;  and  I  will 
no  longer  make  myself  miserable,  nor  render  myself  ridicu- 
lous by  using  such  language.  And  from  that  moment  1  broke 
off  from  the  habit ;  I  felt  a  justification,  a  happiness  immedi- 
ately in  so  doing,  which  I  would  not  have  exchanged  for  all 
the  popularity  of  profane  swearing  that  the  world  could  award. 
But,  to  return  again  from  my  wanderings : 

I  had  now  obtained  my  freedom,  and  must  do  something 
for  myself.  I  had  no  longer  a  right  to  a  home  in  my  father's 
house  unless  I  purchased  it,  any  more  than  a  stranger.  I 
had  no  money,  no  resources,  was  poorly  clad,  and  must  pro- 
vide for  myself.  I,  therefore,  let  myself  to  my  brother  and 
a  neighbor  to  work,  alternately  a  week  with  each,  for  six 
months,  at  the  enormous  wages  of  twenty  shillings,  ($3,33,) 
per  month.      Was   not  this  an  auspicious  beginning  in  the 


46  MEMOIRS 

world  ?  and  could  not  one,  under  such  circumstances,  afford 
to  build  castles  in  the  air?  But  I  worked  my  time  out ;  and 
in  the  fall  of  the  year  had  procured  some  new  clothes  and  had 
a  few  shillings  in  my  pocket.  But  my  volatile  mind  would 
not  permit  me  to  pursue  what  would  probably  have  been  my 
best  course,  that  is,  to  have  staid  at  my  father's,  and  attended 
the  district  school  through  the  winter,  (for  our  schools  had  as- 
sumed a  much  better  character  than  when  I  first  began  to  go 
to  school,)  but  I  must  try  something  new — something  more 
congenial  with  my  character  as  a  man. 

I  had  a  sister  who  had  married,  and  resided  in  Vermont, 
about  one  hundred  miles  distant ;  and  I  resolved  to  go  to  the 
new  State  and  try  my  fortune  there.  I  accordingly  performed 
tlie  journey,  walking  on  foot  in  company  with  a  brother  of  my 
brother's  wife.  I  was  I'eceived  very  kindly  by  my  brother-in- 
laW,  v.diose  name  was  Shaw,  and  was  made  welcome  to  a 
home  there  for  a  season ;  but  I  had  not  been  there  more  than 
a  week,  when  his  brother,  who  kept  a  small  store  in  the  neigh- 
borhood,  wanted  to  engage  me  as  a  clerk,  if  I  should  answer 
his  purpose.  I  could  write  a  very  tolerable  hand,  was  com- 
petent in  figures,  and  had,  the  previous  winter,  commenced  the 
study  of  English  grammar.  He  made  an  examination  of  me, 
and  pronounced  my  learning  sufficient.  Accordingly,  I  en- 
gaged,  and  remained  v/ith  him  until  September  following.  I 
then  assisted  him  in  collecting,  and  driving  to  Boston,  a  dro\'« 
of  cattle  and  sheep  ;  and  after  they  were  sold,  I  returned  to  my 
native  town.  I  remained  there  during  the  winter  following, 
hoarded  at  a  neighbor's,  and  attended  a  district  school.  We 
had,  for  the  times,  a  good  teacher ;  and  t  made  some  profi- 
ciency in  English  grammar.  But,  alas  !  to  what  disadvantage 
%vere  we  subjected,  in  comparison  to  present  facilities. 


CHAPTER  III 


Second  journey  to  Vermont—Capt.  Shaw— First  attempt  to  teach  school--^' 
Success— Elder  Wm.  Graw— Rehgious  awakening  and  fears  renewed-- 
Commences  readhig  the  Bible,  and  obtains  relief— Engages  as  post-rider 
— Universalist  association— Mr.  Ballou— Benoni  Shaw  ;  his  previous  re- 
ligious profession— Association  holden  in  the  Court-House— conduct  of 
the  sheriff— Mr.  Ballou  preaches  in  Barnard-Mr.  Young  visits  Bridge- 
tvater— Three  preachers  only  reside  in  Vt.— Second  term  of  school-teach - 
ino-— Return  to  Mass.— Labors  on  the  turnpike  in  Hardwick— Visits  Bi-^ 
lerlca,  and  works  on  a  farm— Return  to  New  Salem— Term  at  the  Acad- 
emy—Enters  as  clerk  of  the  store  of  Joel  Amsden  Dana— Became  person- 
ally acquainted  with  Mr.  Ballou— Iclination  to  preach— Ellis  Blake's  sui- 
cide—Feelings on  the  occasion— Clergy. 

•  In  the  autumn  of  this  year,  1708,  I  again  went  to  Ver- 
mont ;  with  a  trembling  hope  that  I  might  obtain  a  place  as 
school-teacher  in  some  small  district  of  that  new  country, 
and  succeed  in  making  myself  useful  in  that  employment. 
I  went  directly  to  my  friend  Capt.  Job  Shaw,  who  was  al- 
ways ready  to  find  me  employment,  and  to  help  me  all  in 
his  power,  whenever  I  needed  ;  and  entered  for  a  short  sea- 
son as  clerk  in  his  store.  I  had  been  there  but  a  short  time, 
before  a  gentleman  came  to  engage  me  to  teach  a  school,  by 
friend  Shaw's  recommendation,  as  I  supposed.  I  presume, 
however,  he  felt  much  hesitation  when  he  came  to  see  me, 
for  his  conduct  manifested  it.  To  see  a  chap  scarcely  up 
to  his  knees  in  height,  who  it  seemed  could  hardly  possess 
streno-th  of  body  or  mind  sufficient  to  manage  a  child  of  ten 
years'  old,  offer  himself  as  a  school-teacher,  appeared,  no 
doubt,  to  him  as  preposterous  and  presumptuous  in  the  ex- 
treme. However,  he  at  length  did  his  errand  ;  and  we 
agreed  that  I  should  enter  the  school  on  trial.  I'he  school 
was  described  to  me  as  pretty  numerously  attended— near 
the  centre  of  the   town—some   quite  large   scholars— and^ 


48  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

worst  of  all,  had  been  badly  managed  for  a  few  years,  and 
had  obtained  the  character  of  a  very  bad  school  ;  I  should, 
therefore,  M'itI)  the  best  inanagement  and  skill,  have  a  hard 
task  of  it  ;  and  he  had  his  doubts  whether  J  should  be  able 
to  succeed  :  and  his  doubts  were  not  stronger  than  my  own. 
But  I  had  never  yet  tried  my  skill  ;  and  neither  myself  nor 
any  one  else  could  determine  how  I  would  succeed  until  I 
had  made  the  experiment  ;  I  moreover  felt  very  anxious  to 
take  that  method  to  help  myself  along  in  life,  if  I  should 
possess  the  requisite  qualifications  ;  and  I  resolved,  at  any 
risk,  to  make  the  trial.  I  engaged,  therefore,  for  very 
small  wages,  and  with  the  express  understanding,  that  if  I 
could  not  succeed,  I  should  have  the  privilege  of  peaceably 
leaving  the  school  without  any  hard  feelings  on  either  side. 
I  was  to  demand  no  wages,  if  I  could  not  succed  to  their 
satisfaction. 

The  time  arrived,  and  I  went  with  trembling  steps  to  enter 
upon  my  new  vocation.  I  had  not  yet  attained  to  my  twen- 
tieth  year  ;  unskilled  in  the  knowledge  of  man,  unacquainted 
with  the  ways  of  the  world  ;  and  my  stature,  my  beardless 
face,  white  hair,  and  very  light  complexion,  would  indicate 
to  a  stranger  that  I  had  only  seen  a  still  less  number  of  years  ; 
indeed,  had  I  called  myself  only  fifteen,  no  stranger  would 
have  disputed  me.  When  I  entered  the  school-house,  I 
found  it  well  filled,  and  probably  one  third  of  the  scholars 
were  heavier  than  myself,  and  several  were  actually  older. 
I  felt  diffident,  and  even  fearful  of  the  result  of  my  under- 
taking, and  should  probably  have  quailed  under  the  suspi. 
clous  and  scrutinizing  gaze  of  the  scholars,  and  given  up  in 
despair  ;  but  I  had  previously  settled  matters  with  myself — 
had  anticipated  all  this,  and  made  up  my  resolution  to  pro. 
ceed  at  all  hazards.  I  introduced  myself  with  as  much  dig. 
nity  as  I  was  master  of, — established  the  rules  and  regula- 
tions of  the  school — tried  to  impress  on  the  minds  of  the 
scholars  the  object  and  design  of  their  being  placed  there, 
and  the  importance  of  a  close  application  to  study  and  a 
faithful  improvement  of  their  time  ;  assuring  them  of  my 
readiness  to  cheerfully  devote  every  moment  of  my  time, 
and  every  faculty  I  possessed  to  their  benefit  ;  and  nothing 
could  afford  me  so  much  pleasure,  and  so  high  gratification, 
as  to  see  them  advance  in  their  studies ;  and  appealed  to  the 
intelligence  and  good-will  of  the  older  scholars  to  help  me  in 
maintaining  good  regulations  in  school,  and  carrying  into  ef- 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  49 

feet  the  important  and  interesting  design,  by  a  faithful  ob- 
servance of  every  minute  regulation  of  the  school,  and  a 
close  application  to  study.  My  appeal  was  not  in  vain  ;  for 
I  instantly  obtained  their  good  feelings,  and  their  faithful  co- 
operation,  i  determined  to  be  master  of  the  school,  if  I  re- 
mained in  it  ;  and  I  resolved  to  govern  it,  if  at  all,  not  by  a 
rigid,  tyrannical  discipline,  but  by  gaining  the  confidence  of 
my  scholars,  and  securing,  from  good-will  to  me,  their  ready 
and  cheerful  obedience  to  all  my  regulations  ;  and  my  suc- 
cess was  equal  to  my  most  sanguine  desires — not  to  say  ex- 
pectations,  for  they  were  very  faint.  I  laid  down  as  few 
laws,  or  rules  for  the  regulation  of  the  school,  as  I  thought 
would  possibly  answer  ;  and  I  never  allowed  the  least 
breach  or  infringement  of  those  laws  with  impunity,  by 
young  or  old,  great  or  small.  I  never  resorted  to  corporeal 
punishment,  save  in  very  few  instances  ;  1  could  generally 
humble  the  most  obstinate  by  talking  ;  and  if  that  would  not 
do  alone,  some  trifling  inconvenience,  for  a  very  short  time, 
wouid  uniformly  bring  to  submission.  I  had  not  been  in 
school  three  weeks,  before  it  had  the  name  of  being  under 
the  best  discipline  of  any  school  in  town,  and  of  advancing 
with  the  greatest  rapidity.  I  was  so  successful,  that  I  was 
one  of  the  happiest  boys  in  the  world — I  loved  my  scholars 
like  children  ;  and  had  every  reason  to  believe  that  they  re- 
garded me  with  equal  affection.  We  established  evening 
schools  for  exercising  in  spelling  and  in  other  branches ;  I 
spent  all  the  time  with  my  scholars,  by  day  and  by  night, 
that  I  could  keep  [hem  together,  and  was  never  so  happy  as 
when  engaged  in  teaching  them  ;  and  when  it  became  ne- 
cessary to  close  the  school,  my  engagement  being  out,  it  was 
with  the  utmost  reluctance  we  parted.  We  all,  both  scholars 
and  teacher,  wept  on  the  occasion- 

This  proved  one  of  the  happiest  winters  of  my  early  life. 
My  employers  were  so  happily  disappointed,  (though  certain- 
ly not  more  so  than  myself,)  that  they  called  a  district  meet- 
ing at  the  close  of  the  school,  and  voted  me  one  dollar  per 
month  in  addition  to  my  wages,  and  engaged  me  for  the  next 
winter.  This  did  me  vastly  more  good  than  to  have  received 
the  highest  wages  which  the  best  teachers  commanded  ; 
while  they  agreed  to  give  me  the  highest  wages  for  the  next 
winter. 

During  the  winter,  I  boarded  with  a  Baptist  preacher 
by  the  name  of  Graw.      He  had  a  numerous  family  that  at- 

D 


50  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

tended  my  school,  the  oldest  of  whom  were  about  my  age. 
I  associated  with  them  very  pleasantly,  spending  a  good  deal 
of  time  there  in  addition  to  what  was  necessary  as  a  boarder  ; 
for  the  Elder  was  always  social  and  pleasant,  ever  made  me 
welcome  to  his  house,  and  seemed  to  take  great  satisfaction 
in  my  calls.     He  was  a  zealous  man,  a  rigid  Calvinist,  pos- 
sessed a  good  English  education  and  good  speaking  talents, 
with  a  heavy,  strong,  thundering  voice  ;  and  he  would  pour 
out  the  wrath  of  God,  without  mixture,  upon  the  devoted 
head  of  the  impenitent  sinner !     "  They  call  me  a  hell-fired 
preacher,"  he  would  say,  "  and  they  say  right — I  mean  to 
be  a  hell-fired  preacher."     He  talked  to  me  much  on  the  sub- 
ject of  religion  ;  and  I  very  generally  attended  his  meetings. 
He  was  rather  egotistical,  and  boasted  of  the  victories  he  had 
gained  in  argument  over  preachers  of  other  denominations, 
and  especially  the  Universalists — (for  there  were  a  very  few 
Universalists,  and  two  or  three   preachers  of  the  order,  in 
Vermont,  even  in  those  days) — and  would  often  repeat  to  me 
his  argument.     His  conversation,  his  preaching,  and  his  ar. 
guments,  had  a  very  powerful  etfect  upon  me.       I   verily 
thought  the  Elder  must  be  right  ;  I  had  never  studied  the 
Bible  very  closely,  but  he  had.     And,  moreover,  he  was  one 
of  the  few  favorites  of  Heaven — God  had  given  him  the  as- 
surance of  his  election  to  eternal  life,  and  he  was  divinely 
instructed.     His  doctrine  ascribed  to  God  infinite  sovereignty. 
He  was  infinite  in  knowledge,  wisdom,  and  power,  if  not  in 
goodness  ;  and  I  had  no  right  to  determine  what  the  goodness 
of  God  should  do,  or  ought  to  do,  for  sinful  man.     God  had 
certainly  created  them,  and  he  had  a  sovereign  right  to  dis- 
pose  of  them  according  to  his  own  will — for  his  own  glory. 
They  had  no  right  to  complain.     The  Elder  could  also  quote 
a  great  deal  of  Scripture  in  support  of  his  theory.     I  thought, 
therefore,  it  must  needs  be  so ;   and  I  became  exceedingly 
alarmed.     I  would  try  every  expedient  likely  to  shake   off 
these  feelings  ;  I  would  reason  the  subject — <'  what  can  I  do  ? 
— if  I  am  so  happy  as  to  be  one  of  the  elect,  I  shall  surely 
be  brought  in  ;  but  if,  on  the  other  hand,  I  am  one  of  the 
rebrobate — if  I  was  not  included  in  the  covenant  of  grace, 
if  I  am  not  one  of  Christ's  purchased  possession,  if  he  never 
died  for  me,  all  my  tears,  and  groans,  and  all  my  exertions, 
can  avail  nothing  ;  I  must,  in  despite  of  all  my  efforts,  at  last 
sink  down  in  unutterable  and  endless  woe  !     I  can  not  con- 
vert myself— I  can  do  nothing  of  myself,  so  Elder  Graw 


LIFE   OF   REV.   NATHANIEL   STACY.  51 

says.  The  grace  of  God  must  alone  convert  me,  must  fit 
me  for  heaven — I  can  do  nothing,  for  I  am  totally  depraved 
— every  thought,  word,  and  action,  is  infinite  evil  in  the  sight 
of  God,  and  even  my  prayers  are  an  abomination  !  This 
was  a  deplorable  dilemma ;  on  whichever  horn  I  seized,  it 
afforded  me  no  hope,  no  consolation  !  I  must  work  or  be 
damned — I  had  no  power  to  work  ;  and  if  I  tried  to  work,  I 
should  be  damned  for  trying  !  I  felt  myself  sinking  down 
into  a  state  of  total  despair.  But  I  studiously  kept  all  these 
feelings  to  myself  ;  and  strove,  as  much  as  possible,  to  shake 
them  off,  by  mixing  in  company  with  my  young  and  thought- 
less companions.  But,  alas,  they  stuck  to  me  with  an  un- 
yielding tenacity,  until  sleep  would  be  driven  from  my  eyes 
and  slumber  from  my  eyelids !  Thus  I  labored  for  weeks, 
and  for  months.  I  strove  to  make  myself  reconciled  to  my 
fate,  be  it  what  it  might — would  say,  it  all  must  be  right,  un- 
der the  divine  government.  God  is  infinite  in  all  his  per- 
fections, and  has  an  undoubted  right  to  control  the  affairs  of 
his  own  dominions  ;  and  1  ivill  submit.  If  I  am  finally  to 
be  saved,  according  to  his  purpose,  I  shall  be  ;  if  otherwise, 
I  cannot  help  it — God  has  decreed  it.  I  supposed  I  believed 
the  Bible  ;  and  I  verily  thought  that  it  taught  the  doctrine  of 
Calvinism.  I  tried  to  reverence  the  divine  name — I  would 
say  to  iTLyself,  I  will  be  reconciled  to  God.  But,  alas !  I 
would  find  myself  dissatisfied  with  his  plan,  and  inwardly 
complaining  from  the  bitterness  of  my  soul.  Why  did  Hea- 
ven create  me  ?  Why  not  have  let  me  slept  in  eternal  un- 
consciousness  ?  Then,  surely,  I  could  not  have  offended 
him,  nor  been  in  danger  of  endless  sufferings  !  But,  woe  to 
me !  here  I  am,  brought  into  existence  without  any  wish  of 
my  own  ;  an  existence  which,  at  best,  subjects  me  to  the  ago- 
nizing fears  of  endless  misery  ;  and,  most  probably,  chained 
down  by  the  unchangeable  decree  of  Jehovah  to  ceaseless, 
excruciating  burnings  !  And  every  feeling  of  reconciliation 
would  vanish  in  a  moment  ;  and  all  the  reverence  for  the 
divine  character  which  I  could  entertain,  was  that  kind  of 
reverence  which  the  most  servile  fear  produces  toward  the 
most  inexorable  tyrant !  Alas!  it  is  not  strange  that  Calvin- 
ism has  driven  its  thousands  into  despair  and  madness — it 
is  rather  strange  that  an  individual  can  continue  under  its 
influence  for  a  moment,  and  not  be  driven  to  insanity  ! 

At  length,  worn  out  with  these  ceaseless  harrowings  of 
mental  agony,  I  resolved,  sink  or  swim,  live  or  die,  saved 


52  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

or  damned,  to  risk  the  heinous  crime  of  lifting  up  my  soul  in 
secret  prayer  to  God,  for  light ;  and  to  give  myself  to  the 
study  of  the  Bible,  natural  and  carnal  as  I  was  ;  to  try  to 
find  the  truth  therein  contained  ;  although  I  had  been  stu- 
diously taught  that  I  could  not  understand  it,  beeause  I  was  a 
natural  man ;  and  it  was  infinitely  dangerous  to  attempt  it. 
But,  blessed  be  God,  I  soon  f<Dund  relief.  I  learned  from  the 
sacred  oracle  a  very  different  doctrine  from  that  I  had  been 
taught  by  man.  I  could  find  it  no  where  recorded,  that  the 
Father  made  a  covenant  with  the  Son,  that  on  condition  he 
would  come  into  the  world,  and  suffer,  and  die,  to  fulfil  the 
broken  law  and  to  satisfy  the  claims  of  divine  justice,  which 
required  the  endless  damnation  of  the  whole  human  race,  that 
he,  the  Father,  would  give  him,  the  Son,  a  certain  select  num- 
ber, as  a  reward  for  his  obedience,  &c.  But  I  did  find,  on 
the  Holy  Record,  that  "  God  so  loved  the  ivorld  that  he  gave 
his  only-begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should 
not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life.  For  God  sent  not  his 
Son  into  the  ^s'orld  to  condemn  the  world  ;  but  that  the  world, 
through  him,  might  he  saved. .'^  (John,  3  :  16,  17.)  That  the 
"  Father  loveth  the  Son,  and  hath  given  all  things  into  his 
hand."  (John  3:  35.)  That  He  gave  him  "The  heathen  for 
thine  inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  thy 
possession."  (Ps.  2  :  8.)  That  "It  is  a  light  thing,"  saiththe 
Lord,  "that  thou  shouldest  be  my  servant  to  raise  up  the  tribes 
of  Jacob,  and  to  restore  the  preserved  of  Israel:  I  will  also 
give  thee  for  a  light  to  the  Gentiles,  that  thou  mayest  be  my 
salvation  unto  the  end  of  the  earth."  (Isa.  49  :  6.)  That  he, 
Christ,  "  by  the  grace  of  God  should  taste  death  for  everif 
manJ''  (Heb.  2  :  9.)  That  he  "  gave  himself  a  ransom  for  all, 
to  he  testified  in  due  time."  (1  Tim.  2  :  6.)  That  "  He  is  the 
propitiation  for  our  sins ;  and  not  for  ours  only,  but  also  for 
the  sins  of  the  whole  world."  (1  John  2:  2.)  That  Christ 
came  down  from  heaven  to  do  the  Father's  will ;  and  that  the 
Father's  will  was,  that  of  all  he  had  given  to  Christ,  he  should 
lose  nothing,  but  raise  it  up  again  at  the  last  day.  (John  6  :38, 
39.)  That  "  God  commendeth  his  love  to^vard  us,  in  that, 
while  we  were  yet  sinners,  Christ  died  for  us."  (Rom.  5  :  8.) 
That  God  "will  have  all  men  to  be  saved,  and  to  come  unto 
the  knowledge  of  the  truth."  (1  Tim.  2  :  4.)  And  that  God 
says,  under  the  solemnity  of  an  oath,  that  he  "  has  no  pleasure 
in  the  death  of  the  wicked,  but  that  the  wicked  turn  from  his 
way  and  live."  (Ezek.  33  :  11.)     That  he  "  worketh  all  things 


LIFE    OF   REV.    NATHANIEL    STAcf.  53 

rafter  the  counsel  of  his  own  will."  (Eph.  1 :  11.)  That  "what- 
soever the  Lord  pleased,  that  did  he  in  heaven,  and  in  earth, 
in  the  seas,  and  all  deep  places."  (Ps.  135  :  6.)  "Saying, 
my  counsel  shall  stand,  and  I  will  do  all  my  pleasure."  (Isa. 
46:  10.)  &c.,  &c.  O,  how  precious  were  these  truths  to  my 
panting  soul.  How  I  could  press  the  sacred  volume  to  my 
throbbing  heart,  and  thank  the  God  of  my  salvation,  for  the 
life  he;  had  given  me — for  existence — for  all  things  !  and  how 
cheerfully  submit  to  every  dispensation  of  his  government, 
however  afflictive,  since  he  had  destined  me,  and  not  only  me, 
but  all  my  friends  and  the  whole  human  race,  to  be  infinite 
gainers  by  that  existence !  I  loved  God  with  all  my  heart — ■ 
I  knew  I  loved  him  ;  and  my  soul  was  filled  with  love  for  all 
mankind — for  every  thing  that  God  had  made.  I  did  then, 
indeed,  reverence  the  divine  name,  unmins^led  with  slavish 
fear ;  for  "  perfect  love  casteth  out  fear."  O,  how  I  longed  to 
proclaim  this  truth — this  glorious  news  of  free  salvation — to 
the  sin-sick  and  despairing  world,  and  set  the  captive  free ; 
for  I  verily  believed  that  the  world,  or  a  great  share  of  it,  was 
laboring  under  the  same  yoke  of  bondage  which  had  galled 
me  to  the  quick,  and  driven  me  nearly  to  raving  madness  ! 
But  I  was  diffident — exceedingly  bashful.  I  had  never  been 
talkative  on  the  subject  of  religion.  I  had  buried  my  feel- 
ings, as  much  as  possible,  in  my  own  breast,  and  put  on  as 
cheerful  an  appearance  as  I  could,  to  secrete  the  sad  exerci- 
ses of  my  own  mind,  and  avoid  observation.  But  I  could  not 
help  speaking  of  the  joy  of  my  heart  to  some  friends  ;  and 
was  so  enthusiastic  in  my  expressions  to  my  beloved  friend, 
Capt.  Shaw,  that  he  exclaimed,"  Why,  Nat,  you  are  crazy  !" 
I  wrote  some — not  for  publication,  for  I  dared  not  show 
it  to  many  ;  and  I  began  to  express  my  feelings  in  poetry. — 
Poetry !  yes,  gentle  reader,  I  wrote  poetry.  But  the  world 
has  not  been  blessed  with  as  much  of  it  as  it  probably  would 
have  been,  had  not  some  of  my  fastidious  friends  had  the  im- 
pertinence to  more  than  hint  to  me,  that  it  was  not  the  best 
poetry  they  ever  saw.  And  although  I  supposed  it  was  be- 
cause they  could  not  appreciate  the  excellency  of  it  as  well 
as  I  could,  it  no  doubt  had  a  tendency  to  make  me  a  little 
more  diffident  about  exposing  it,  and  to  dampen  the  ardor  of 
my  muse.  But  you  shall  have  some  of  it  before  I  have  done 
with  you  ;  and  probably  some,  too,  which  several  of  our  sple- 
netic editors  declined  publishing ;  but  it  will  do  well  enough 
iox  my  book. 


54  •  MEMOIRS   OF   THE 

In  the  spring  of  the  year,  after  the  close  of  the  school  of 
which  I  have  been  speaking,  I  was  induced,  by  the  persua- 
sion of  several  highly  esteemed  friends,  to  undertake  to  dis- 
tribute newspapers  through  this  section  of  country.  There 
was  but  one  newspaper  then,  I  believe,  published  in  the  county 
of  Windsor,  and  that  was  called  "The  Vermont  Journal," 
published  in  Windsor,  by  Alden  Spooner.  Post-offices  were 
not  then,  as  now,  established  in  every  town,  village,  aijd  ham- 
let through  the  country,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  people 
could  get  the  news  of  the  day  through  that  medium.  I  had 
my  fears  with  regard  to  the  result ;  but  the  earnest  solicita- 
tions of  my  friends  overruled  them,  and  I  undertook  it  for  six 
months.  My  friend,  Capt.  Shaw,  went  with  me  to  Windsor, 
and  became  my  bail  to  the  printer.  I  purchased  a  horse,  and 
set  out  upon  my  new  avocation  ;  but,  alas,  it  was  a  wearisome 
job,  and  proved  an  unprofitable  speculation.  My  residence 
was  at  my  friend  Shaw's,  in  Bridgewater,  about  twenty  miles 
from  the  printing-office ;  and  I  occupied  three  days  in  each 
week  on  my  ride.  I  would  leave  home  on  JMonday  morning, 
ride  to  Windsor,  get  my  papers,  and  return  the  same  day, 
distributing  them  through  Haitland  and  Woodstock.  The 
next  day,  I  would  leave  home  in  the  morning,  go  as  far  as 
White  river,  in  the  town  of  Bethel,  oi>  one  road,  and  return  on 
another,  and  distribute  the  papers  through  North  Bridgewater, 
Barnard,  and  parts  of  Bethel  and  Woodstock ;  and  the  third 
day,  go  to  Plymouth  and  return.  The  remainder  of  the  week, 
I  was  in  the  employment  of  Capt.  Shaw,  which  paid  for  my 
board  and  horse-keeping.  Thus  I  had  established  my  route 
upon  as  frugal  a  plan  as  possible ;  but  notwithstanding  this, 
and  all  the  economy  I  was  master  of,  (though,  by-the-by,  I 
was  never  a  good  financier,)  I  found  myself  at  the  close  of  the 
engagement  involved  in  a  debt,  which  took  more  than  all  my 
wages  of  the  next  winter  to  cancel.  I'  had  to  make  out  a  large 
sum  to  the  printer  ;  and  I  had  no  other  resource  but  the  small 
sums  on  my  subscription  list,  scattered  all  over  the  country. 
And,  before  the  payments  became  due,  numbers  of  my  sub- 
scribers were  beyond  my  reach.  Others  were  slack,  and 
availed  themselves  of  all  possible  means  to  evade  payment. 
And  one  Barlow — he  was  called  a  justice  of  the  peace,  but  a 
disiurher  of  the  peace  would  have  been  a  more  appropriate 
appellative — took  measures,  successfully,  to  cheat  me  out  of 
almost  all  my  dues  in  the  town  of  Barnard.  I  discovered, 
long  before  the  close  of  my  engagement,  that  the  business 


LIFE  OF  REV.  NATHANIEL  STACY.  55 

would  not  do  for  m-e,  and  made  my  arrangements  to  quit  it; 
and  I  had  reason  soon  to  congratulate  myself  on  my  success^ 
poor  as  it  was.  A  young  man  wantetl  the  route  ;  and  I  took 
him  round  once  with  me,  to  introduce  him  to  my  patrons  and 
properly  initiate  him  into  the  business,  although  I  formed  the 
route  for  myself,  in  the  beginning.  But  before  he  had  been 
m  the  business  as  long  as  I  had,  he  found  himself  in  prison 
for  the  debt  he  had  incurred.  He  did  not  take  the  precaution 
that  I  did,  to  keep  in  the  good  graces  of  the  printer.  When- 
ever  I  received  any  sum,  however  small,  even  if  it  did  not 
exceed  fifty  cents,  I  paid  it  immediately  into  the  hands  of  the 
printer.  TJiis  course  gained  me  his  confidence ;  and  he  would 
say  to  me,  ''  Do  the  best  you  can— I  will  not  trouble  you— 
you  do  better  by  me  than  any  other  of  my  post- riders  ;  "  and 
he  was  as  good  as  his  word.  He  never  sued  me,  nor  even 
threatened,  but  waited  patiently,  and  took  any  thino-  I  could 
turn  out  to  him.  ° 

Though  my  summer's  work  was  pecuniarily  unprofitable, 
it  was,  no  doubt,  to  my  spiritual  advantage.  My  solitary  rides 
afTorded  me  time  and  opportunity  for  thought  and  reflection; 
and,  before  the  close  of  the  season,  my  mind  became  very 
well  established  in  the  doctrine  of  God's  universal  grace,  and 
I  was  happy.  As  fall  approached,  probably  in  the  month  of 
August,  I  saw  a  notice  in  the  paper  that  1  wa.s  distributing, 
that  a  Universalist  Association  would  be  holden  at  the  Court- 
house  in  Woodstock,  in  September.  On  discovering  this,  my 
heart  leaped  for  joy.  Though  I  had  heard  a  few  Universalist 
preachers  when  quite  a  boy,  yet  I  had  not  felt  sufhcient  inter- 
est  in  the  doctrine,  or  my  judgment  was  not  sufficiently  ma- 
tured, for  it  to  make  much  impression.  I  had,  during  the 
intense  exercise  of  my  mind  on  the  subject  of  religion,  striven 
to  recal  to  my  recollection  some  of  their  arguments  and  illus- 
trations, to  get  some  views  of  the  theory,  but  to  very  little 
purpose  ;  I  could  get  no  important  relief  thereby.  But  now 
I  feh  as  though  I  could  hear  and  understand — as  though  the 
seed  would  not  fall  on  stony  ground,  or  by  the  way-side,  and 
I  hoped  hot  among  thorns.  As  the  time  drew  nearer,  my 
heart  beat  higher ;  but,  alas !  I  could  get  no  one  to  supply  my 
place  on  the  post  route,  and,  consequently,  could  only  get  to 
the  meeting  on  the  last  day. 

I  shall  not  attempt  to  describe  the  sensations  I  experienced 
on  approaching  and  entering  the  house  of  worship,  for  it  would 
be  impossible.     It  seemed  as  though  light  beamed  in  match- 


56  3ie:moirs  of  the 

less  glory  from  above,  and  heaven  had  thrown  wide  open  its 
portals  of  beauty  !  The  words  of  the  speaker  were  like  a 
precious  healing  baln>  to  my  soul.  There  were  but  three- 
preachers  present.  Our  venerable  father,  Hosea  Ballou,  now 
living  in  Boston  ;  Mr  .William  Farwell,  and  Mr.  Walter  Fer- 
ris. Both  of  the  latter  have  long  since  been  numbered  with 
the  congregation  of  the  dead.  Mr.  Ballou  preached,  and  one 
of  his  discourses  was  on  the  parable  of  the  rich  man  and 
Lazarus :  and  it  swept  away  the  last  vestige  of  doubt  and 
darkness  from  my  mind.  I  followed  the  clergymen  around 
as  closely  as  possible,  so  as  to  catch  every  word — ventured 
into  the  council-chamber,  in  the  intermission,  where  they,  to- 
gether with  many  other  friends,  were  assembled,  and  where, 
also,  the  excellent  choir,  led  by  the  celebrated  teacher,  Mr. 
West,  performed  several  excellent  pieces  adapted  to  the  oc- 
casion  ;  and  the  preaching,  and  the  singing,  and  the  social 
converse,  so  enraptured  my  soul,  that,  young  and  bashful  as 
I  was,  I  could  hardly  refrain  from  crying  out,  in  the  language 
of  the  celestial  messenger,  "  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  and 
on  earth  peace,  good- will  toward  men."  And  I  really  felt  as 
the  entranced  disciples  did  at  the  transfiguration  of  the  Savior, 
"It  is  good  for  me  to  be  here."  And  my  astonishment  was 
excited  beyond  measure,  when  I  came  to  look  around  among 
the  attendants  who  thronged  the  room,  and  saw  several  of  my 
acquaintances,  who  appeared  as  happy  as  myself,  and  whom 
I  had  supposed  to-  be  violently  opposed  to  the  doctrine  ;  and  to 
whom,  consequently,  I  had  never  dared  to  express  a  thought, 
after  I  became  favorably  impressed  with  a  belief  of  its  truth. 
Among  them  was  a  brother  of  my  friend,  Captain  Shaw, 
Benoni,  whom  I  supposed  to  be  very  rigid  in  his  Partialist  faith. 
Benoni  Shaw,  together  with  his  four  brothers  who  resided  in 
that  country,  were,  I  believe,  members  of  what  was  called  the 
New-light  Congregational  Church  ;  with  Mi\  Seth  Ransom  as 
tlieir  pastor.  They  were  all,  as  I  thought,  rather  bigoted ; 
but  Capt.  Job,  with  whom  I  boarded,  I  considered  the  most 
liberal.  I  was  told,  that  when  a  brother  of  Benoni's  wife,  Mr. 
Noah  Winslow,  embraced  the  doctrine  of  Universal  Salvation, 
he  charged  his  wife  if  JN'oah  came  there  not  to  harbor  him,  nor 
associate  with  him  and  by  no  means  sit  at  table  with  him. 
But  now  I  saw  this  same  Benoni  at  a  Universalist  Association, 
with  his  eyes,  his  ears,  and  his  heart  wide  open.  I  heard  him 
speak  of  the  truth  of  the  doctrine,  and  with  rapture !  And  he, 
ever  after  that,  was  a  warm  and  hearty  believer,  and  a  fear- 


LIFE  OF  REV.  NATHANIEL  STACY.  57 

less  advocate  of  it,  and  a  bright  and  practical  exemplar  of  its 
moral  influence.  He  departed  this  life  rejoicino-  in  its 
strength. 

I  now  felt  myself  in  a  new  world ;  and  although  among  old 
acquaintances,  surrounded  by  new  friends,  bound  together  by 
stronger  ties  than  I  had  ever  before  experienced.  This  meet- 
ing had  a  very  happy  effect  in  this  country.  Besides  its  ten- 
dency to  lead  many  into  the  belief  of  the  truth,  who  had  never 
before  entertained  a  favorable  opinion  of  it,  and  to  establish 
tJiose  who  were  wavering,  it  brought  together  congenial  minds, 
and  introduced  them  to  an  acquaintance  with  each  other,  which 
served  to  strengthen  and  embolden  them  in  the  cause,  to  extend 
their  influence,  and  enlarge  the  sphere  of  their  action ;  by 
which  means  the  cause  of  divine  truth  advanced  with  greater 
rapidity. 

An  incident  occurred  at  this  meeting,  which,  I  think,  is 
worth  recording;  because  it  shows  the  bitterness  of  spirit 
which  actuated  the  opposers  of  this  great  salvation,  and  the 
effect  of  a  calm,  dignified,  and  fearless  perseverance  in  thci 
spirit  of  kindness.  I  was  not  an  eye-witness  ;  but  I  was  told 
of  it ;  indeed,  it  was  a  subject  of  common  observation  and  re- 
mark, and  had  a  very  salutary  effect  upon  the  reasonable  part 
of  community ;  for  it  led  them  to  make  a  comparison  between 
the  influence  of  the  two  doctrines.  The  friends  of  Universal- 
ism  had  applied  to  the  proper  authorities  for  the  use  of  the 
Court-house  for  the  meeting,  and  obtained  their  consent ;  and 
the  doors  were  accordingly  opened.  But  the  sherifl'  of  the 
(X)unty,  one  Rice,  a  bigot,  without  religion,  as  his  character 
too  plainly  testified,  undertook  to  frighten  them  away,  by  pla- 
cing himself  before  the  door  with  a  drawn  sword  in  his  hand  ; 
no  doubt  thinking  that  the  importance  of  his  office,  and  a  little 
blustering,  would  break  up  the  meeting.  But,  at  the  appoint- 
ed hour,  the  clergy,  with  Mr.  Ballou  at  their  head,  walked 
deliberately  to  the  house,  and,  as  they  approached  the  door 
where  this  wonderful  majesty  of  law  had  placed  himself  and 
was  flourishing  his  broad-sword,  Mr.  Ballou,  with  his  wonted 
urbanity  and  pleasantness,  addressed  the  little  man  in  the  lan- 
guage of  the  Savior  ;  "  Peter,  put  up  thy  sword  into  his  place," 
and  walked  by  the  shame-smitten  sheriff  into  the  house.  I 
was  told  that  he  hung  down  his  head,  and,  without  uttering  a 
word,  walked  ofl^  to  his  house,  probably  with  a  less- exalted 
opinion  of  his  own  importance  than  when  he  placed  himself 
at  the  Court-house  door. 


53  MEMOIRS   OF    THE 

From  this  time  my  mind  was  perfectly  satisfied  in  regard 
to  the  doctrine  of  the  Gospel,  and  the  ultimate  destiny  of  our 
moral  race :  I  had  no  doubt.  I  saw  clearly  the  paternity  of 
the  divine  character,  the  immutability  of  the  divine  nature, 
the  absolute  sovereignty  of  Jehovah, — and  the  impossibility  of 
the  least  failure  of  his  gracious  designs.  And  although,  in 
the  exceeding  deficiency  of  my  own  wisdom,  I  could  not  com- 
prehend the  means,  nor  analyze  their  fitness  to  the  object  de- 
signed, yet  I  felt  that  I  knew  they  were  sufficient,  for  God  had 
given  his  woi'd  ;  and  that  was  all  that  I  sought  to  know.  For 
I  read,  in  the  divine  word,  this  positive,  unconditional  declara- 
tion :  "  God,  our  Savior,  will  have  all  men  to  he  saved,  and 
come  unto  the  knowledge  of  the  truth,^' — and  that  the  mystery 
of  his  will,  according  to  his  good  pleasure  which  he  had  pur- 
posed in  himself,  was,  that  in  the  dispensation  of  the  fulness 
of  times  he  might  gather  together,  in  one,  all  things  in  Christ, 
both  which  are  in  heaven  and  which  are  in  earth,  even  in 
him."  I  was  consequently  relieved  from  a  ponderous  load 
which,  for  a  long  season,  had  borne  me  down  almost  to  distrac- 
tion. I  was  now  also  blest  with  friends,  who  were  before 
unknown  to  me  as  such,  with  whom  I  could  associate,  and  to 
whom  I  could  speak  with  confidence  of  the  Great  Salvation. 
About  this  time,  too,  (I  think  immediately  after  this  meeting,) 
Mr.  Ballon  entered  into  engagements  to  preach  steadily,  a 
portion  of  the  time,  in  Barnard — and  although  the  distance 
was  ten  miles,  or  more,  from  my  residence,  I  improved  the 
opportunity,  as  often  as  possible,  to  hear  him.  And  during 
the  following  winter  I  also  had  the  privilege  of  hearing  Mr. 
Joab  Young,  a  Universalist  preacher  who  resided  in  the  State. 
There  were,  at  this  time,  three  preachers  only,  who  resided 
in  the  State  of  Vermont :  William  Farewell,  in  Barre ;  Joab 
Young,  in  Stafford  ;  and  Walter  Ferris,  in  Monkton ;  and  I 
presume  not  more,  if  as  many,  organized  societies  in  the  State  ; 
hut  the  doctrine  began  to  advance  rapidly  :  a  spirit  of  earnest 
inquiry  was  abroad  ;  for  the  galling  yoke  of  Partialism  began 
to  sit  extremely  .uneasily  upon  the  lacerated  necks  of  its 
votaries. 

At  the  proper  season,  the  following  winter,  I  commenced 
school  again,  according  to  engagements  the  previous  spring  ; 
and  I  know  not  but  I  accomplished  the  task  with  equal  satis- 
faction both  to  myself  and  my  employers.  On  the  following 
spring,  however,  I  found  myself  not  quite  even  with  the 
world,  in  a  pecuniary  point  of  view  ;  for  my  previous  sum- 


LIFE  OF  REV.  NATHANIEL  STACY.  59 

mer's  miscalculation  had  involved  me  in  a  debt  that  I  was  not 
quite  able  to  liquidate  ;  but  my  creditor,  the  printer,  gave  me 
liberty  to  pursue  my  own  course  to  obtain  the  means.  I 
therefore  left  Vermont,  and  returned  to  my  native  state  ;  re- 
solved, if  possible,  to  find  means  to  pay  my  debts,  and  pursue 
my  studies  somewhat  farther.  I  had  no  means,  however,  bnt 
to  engage  in  manual  labor,  my  health  and  strength  had  much 
improved,  and  I  felt  able  to  do  tolerable  work.  I  soon  found 
employment  on  a  turnpike  road,  then  being  made  from  Boston 
to  Northampton,  where  I  worked  in  the  town  of  Hardwicke, 
until  the  haying  season  commenced,  when  the  hands  were 
dismissed  to  attend  to  that  important  branch  of  husbandry. 
I  then  started  for  the  canal,  which  was  then  being  cut  from 
Merrimack  river  to  Boston  harbor,  with  a  design  to  find  em- 
ployment there  for  a  season.  Several  of  my  town's  people 
were  at  work  on  it  ;  and  from  their  representation,  I  conclu- 
ded I  should  find  an  agreeable  employment  and  good  wages. 
But  on  my  arrival,  I  at  once  became  disgusted  ;  not  simply 
with  the  employment,  I  could  have  endured  that  ;  but  with 
tlie  society  I  should  be  compelled  to  associate  with,  and  the 
habits  I  should  be  likely  to  contract  ;  I  therefore  turned 
away,  and  let  myself  for  half  a  month  to  a  farmer  in  the  town 
of  Bilerica,  to  work  at  haying.  I  told  him  I  should  be  awk- 
ward,  for  I  had  never  mowed  any  ;  however,  he  praised  my 
skill,  and  appeared  quite  satisfied  with  my  labor  ;  and  before 
my  time  was  out  with  him,  I  had  several  applications,  and 
higher  wages  offered  than  he  gave  me.  I  accepted  one  of 
them,  tmd  engaged  for  a  month  only  ;  but  before  my  time 
was  out  with  this  man,  whose  name  was  Bradstreet,  he  solicited 
me  very  earnestly  to  remain  with  him.  He  said  he  had 
pretty  much  made  up  his  mind  to  go  into  the  mercantile  bu- 
siness ;  and  if  I  would  remain  with  him,  he  would  set  up  a 
store,  employ  me  as  clerk,  and  give  me  any  reasonable 
chance  I  would  propose.  I  had  done  some  writing  for  him 
while  in  his  employ,  which  he  approved  ;  and  it  was  with 
some  difficulty  I  could  excuse  myself  from  accepting  his 
friendly  offers.  But  the  fact  was,  I  was  in  a  state  of  mind 
ill  calculated  to  qualify  me  to  settle  down  in  any  kind  of 
business  permanently.  There  was  no  business  which  I 
thought  myself  qualified  to  pursue,  that  seemed  satisfactory. 
My  mind  was  on  the  Gospel — I  longed  to  proclaim  the  glad 
tidings  of  Universal  Salvation  to  a  sinful  world — a  deliver- 
ance to  all  them  that  were  bound — bound  down  to  the  most 


60  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

abject  slavery,  by  the  heart-chilling  and  non-reforming  dog- 
ma of  endless  woe.  !  I  longed  to  be  instrumental  in  dissipating 
the  impervious  cloud  of  darkness  that  hung  with  fearful  gloom 
over  the  moral  horizon,  and  freeing  souls  of  immortal  desire 
from  their  bondage  of  slavish  fear.  And  although  I  could 
not  indulge  the  most  distant  hope  of  ever  being  able  in  the 
least  degree,  to  be  useful  in  the  ministry,  still,  the  inward  de- 
sire burned  so  fervently  in  the  soul,  as  to  render  every  other 
calling  or  employment  insipid  and  undesirable.  But  I  loved 
the  truth  too  well  ; — I  regarded  the  prosperity  of  the  cause 
too  highly  to  willingly  do  any  thing,  or  attempt  to  do  any  thing, 
to  retard  its  progress,  or  bring  it  into  disrepute.  I  considered 
my  talents  infinitely  inadequate,  and  my  information  and  lite- 
rary attainments  vastly  too  limited,  to  be  in  any  degree  useful 
to  the  cause;  and,  besides,  my  unconquerable  timidity  and 
bashfulness  would  be  insuperable  obstacles  in  the  way,  were 
I  otherwise  qualified.  These  feelings  totally  forbade  every 
hope  of  the  kind,  and  imposed  a  veto  upon  any  attempt  to 
qualify  myself  for  the  ministry  :  for  such  an  attempt  would 
only  be  a  subject  of  just  ridicule  to  the  opposer,  and  would 
wound  the  Redeemer  in  the  house  of  his  friends.  These 
thoughts  and  feelings,  however,  were  buried  deeply  in  my 
own  breast,  not  daring  to  breathe  the  most  distant  hint  of 
them  to  the  most  trusty  friend  I  had  on  earth.  But  in  every 
place  where  I  went,  I  would  try,  in  a  timorous  way,  to  find 
Universalists — to  find  congenial  minds  with  whom  I  could 
commune  on  the  subject  nearest  my  heart.  I  tried  in  the 
family  of  Mr.  Bradstreet,  in  Bilerica  ;  but  I  found  little  sym- 
pathy. The  man  inclined  to  be  chraitable  and  liberal,  though 
orthodox  ;  but  his  wife  had  no  charity  for  such  heretics. 
But  I  found,  in  a  near  neighbor,  a  Pvlr.  Smith,  and  his  aged 
mother  who  resided  with  him,  minds  with  whom  I  could  sym- 
pathize ;  they  were  strong  and  bold  in  the  doctrine  of  God's 
Universal  Grace  ;  and  thither  I  often  retired  in  my  leisure 
moments  to  hold  sweet  counsel,  and  converse  on  the  subject 
of  the  Great  Salvation. 

When  the  time  for  which  I  had  engaged  with  Mr.  Brad- 
street  had  expired,  I  put  the  pittance  I  had  earned  in  my  pock- 
et, and  returned  to  my  native  town,  and  entered  another  term 
in  the  academy  ;  and  I  entered,  as  I  calculated,  for  the  last 
time,  in  the  embarrassed  circumstances  under  which  I  la- 
bored, and  consequently  the  length  of  time  1  must  sacrifice  to 
obtain  a  liberal  education,  I  considered  the  attempt  preposter- 


LIFE  OF  REV.  NATHANIEL  STACY.  61 

ous  ;  and  I  therefore  only  now  entered  to  complete  an  edu- 
cation sufficient  to  enable  me  to  transact  the  ordinary  busi- 
ness of  life  with  correctness  and  reSpectability,  in  the  humble 
circle  in  which  I  moved.     I  had  not  the  vanity  to  aspire  to 
distinction  ;  but  I  desired  to  be  as  useful  in  my  humble  sphere 
as  my  abilities  would  enable  me  to  be  ;  and  to  obtain  a  com- 
petency for  the  necessaries  of  life.      I  therefore  concluded  I 
would  study  the  art  of  surveying,  and  then  go  into  some 
newly-settling  country,  where  I  could  find  considerable  em- 
ploy ;  as  with  that,  and  teaching  common  school,  which  I  had 
commenced  pretty  successfully,  I  imagined  I  could  maintain 
myself,  and  probably  be  as  useful  to  society  as  in  any  other 
way.     I  accordingly  purchased  books  and  implements,  and 
completed  my  study  ;  and,  after  obtaining  the  theory,  prac- 
tised for  a  short  time  with  a  surveyor,  M^o  was  employed  in 
perambulating  the  town  lines.     I  had  but  just  completed  my 
terms  of  study  and  service,  and  returned  to  my  father's  house 
to  make  some  farther  arrangements  to  put  my  designs  into  exe- 
cution, when  a  merchant,  by  the  name  of  Amsden,  from  the 
neighboring  town  of  Dana,  called,  and  wanted  to  engage*me 
as  a  clerk  in  his  store.     He  did  not  wish,  however,  to  engage 
me,  unless  I  designed  to  make  that  profession  a  business  for 
life.     He  wanted  a  clerk  who  would  realize  that  he  was  in  an 
employment  he  was  to  follow  for  a  livelihood,  and  would  con- 
sequently  feel  interested  in  making  himself  thoroughly  ac- 
quainted with  the  business  in  all  its  branches  ;  that  he  might 
be  both  profitable  to  himself  and  his  employer.     And  he  pro- 
posed not  to  pay  wages  for  the  first  three  months — he  would 
board  me,  and  furnish  me  with  some  articles  of  clothing,  if  I 
needed  ;  and  after  that,  if  we  were  agreed,  he  would  pay 
good  wages.     Well,  I  was  about  as  well  prepared  for  one 
kind  of  business  as  another.     My  mind  was  fluctuating  and 
unsteady — no  business  actually  pleased  me  ;  and  none  that 
was  lawful,  and  useful  to  society,  disgusted  me  ;  I  might  as 
well  sell  goods  as   any  thing  else,  and  I  had  had  a  little  ex- 
perience too  in  that  kind  of  business ;  so,  after  a  little  reflec- 
tion, I  engaged  to  go.     There  was  one  circumstance  that  had 
quite  a  bearing  to  incline  me  to  accept  of  his  proposals  ;  the 
man  was  himself  a  Universalist  ;  and  my  residence  would 
bring  me   into  the  immediate  neighbcn^hood  of  Mr.  Ballou. 
Mr.  B.  then  lived  in  Dana,  and  preached  a  part  of  the  time  in 
a  meeting-house  within  a  stone's  throw  of  the  store  I  was  going 
to  tend ;  I  should,  therefore,  have  an  opportunity  of  becoming 


62  MEMOIRS   OF   THE 

personally  acquainted  with  him,  and  the  privilege  of  hearing 
him  preach  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation.  And  this  constituted 
no  little  inducement  for  me*to  close  in  with  the  opportunity. 

Very  soon  after  I  took  up  my  residence  in  Dana,  I  became 
familiarly  acquainted  with  Mr.  Ballou.  Mr.  Amsden  and  he 
were  great  associates,  their  residences  a  short  half-mile  apart ; 
and  when  Mr.  B.  was  at  home,  they  were  often  together. 
Mr.  B.  made  frequent  calls  at  the  store,  which  gave  me  an 
opportunity  of  seeing  him,  and  hearing  him  converse  ;  his 
social,  affable  habits  made  him  an  agreeable  companion  for 
all  with  whom  he  associated,  both  young'and  old  ;  and  I  soon 
felt  myself  easy  and  happy  in  his  society.  But  he  was  at 
home  only  during  a  moderate  proportion  of  liis  time.  His  ride, 
at  that  time,  extended  from  Barnard,  in  Yt.,  to  Gloucester,  on 
Cape  Ann,  upon  the  ^lantic  ;  and  he  performed  it,  if  I  right- 
ly recollect,  once  in  two  months,  preaching  often,  perhaps 
nearly  every  day,  at  intermediate  places.  His  residence  was 
nearly  in  the  centre  of  his  circuit,  so  that  he  supplied  the  desk 
in  Dana  as  often  as  once  a  month.  I  enjoyed  a  privilege, 
therefore,  which  I  prized  very  highly,  at  least,  in  the  com- 
mencement ;  but  alas,  I  did  not  improve  it  as  I  ought.  I  was 
young,  and  fond  of  young  company  and  merriment  ;  and 
there  was  a  great  opportunity  of  indulging  my  vivacious  pro- 
pensities ;  for  I  was  in  the  midst  of  a  large  circle  of  very 
respectable  young  people,  of  both  sexes.  But  I  forgot  not  my 
faith,  though  I  treated  it  with  so  much  lightness  in  my  con- 
duct. I  was  happy,  extremely  happy,  when  the  time  came  for 
Mr.  Ballou  to  preach  in  the  town,  and  my  seat  was  never  va- 
cant in  the  church  ;  I  listened  with  such  greedy  attention 
to  every  word,  and  manifested  such  deep  interest  in  his  dis- 
courses, that  it  was  observed  by  others,  and  my  friends  would 
sometimes  say  to  me,  "You  must  preach."'  And  although 
their  words  would  pierce  my  soul,  and  awaken  up  the  imper- 
ishable desire  for  ever  burning  there,  I  would  try  to  treat  them 
with  the  utmost  levity  ;  and  I  consequently  entered  more  free* 
ly  into  the  amusements  of  my  young  companions,  to  repel  and 
drive  away  those  desires,  and  to  convince  my  acquaintances 
^at  I  had  no  such  thought,  or,  at  any  rate,  that  I  was  very  un- 
fit to  enter  upon  so  holy  a  vocation.  For  I  knew  very  well 
that  I  was  wholly  unfit — that  I  lacked  every  qualification  and 
every  grace  requisite  to  the  sacred  calling  ;  and  when  I  felt 
the  strongest  yearnings  of  soul  to  preach  the  Gospel,  I  would 
try  to  cool  my  ardor  by  repeating  these  lines  of  Cowper : 


LIFE   OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  63 

"  The  pulpit— 
And  I  name  itfill'd  with  solemn  awe,  which  bids 
Me  well  beware  with  what  intent  I  touch 
The  holy  thing." 

I  treated  my  desires  as  the  unfruitful  longings  of  a  vain 
mind,  and  tried  to  extinguish  them  by  light  and  vain  conver- 
sation, and  frivolous  amusements,  which  often  made  my  soul 
shudder,  on  reflection.  I  suppose  I  had  a  native  propensity  to 
preach  ;  for  I  very  well  remember,  when  a  mere  child,  that 
after  returning  from  meeting,  I  would  frequently  call  the  chil- 
dren around  me,  get  into  a  chair,  and  go  through  with  all  the 
exercises  I  had  been  witnessing,  with  as  much  solemnity  as 
though  it  had  been  a  reality.  And  now,  if  I  could  keep  the 
desire  in  some  degree  of  subjection  while  awake,  I  could  not 
while  sleeping  ;  for  I  oftentimes  found  myself  preaching 
when  asleep,  sometimes  under  the  most  ludicrous  circum- 
stances, which  would  mortify  me  beyond  measure  ; — some- 
times I  would  make  a  total  failure,  and  leave  the  congrega- 
tion with  shame  ;  and  at  others,  would  be  quite  successfuL 
I  have  often  felt  sorely  vexed  with  myself,  that  I  could  hard- 
ly go  to  sleep  without  being  harrassed  with  such  dreams.  All 
these  things  had  a  tendency  to  make  me  more  reckless  in  my 
demeanor,  until  I  felt  ashamed  to  own  I  was  a  Universalist. 
Whenever  a  person  would  ask  me,  "  Are  you  a  Universalist  ?" 
— (for  I  could  not  help  speaking  of  it  whenever  a  convenient 
opportunity  was  presented,)  I  would  answer,  "No;  for  were 
I  a  Universalist  I  should  be  a  better  man.  I  am  convinced  of 
tJie  truth  of  the  doctrine  ;  but,  alas  !  I  do  not  believe  it  strong- 
ly enough  to  be  denominated  a  Universalist." 

An  occurrence  took  place  while  I  lived  with  Mr.  Amsden 
(for  I  completed  ray  apprenticeship,  or  probationary  term  of 
three  months,  and  then  engaged  for  one  year,  and  fulfilled 
that  engagement  also,)  which  had  a  tendency  to  enstamp  a 
greater  degree  of  solemnity  upon  my  feelings  than  I  had 
lately  experienced,  and  to  check  the  rudeness  of  my  con- 
duct. I  had  formed  an  agreeable  acquaintance  with  a 
young  man,  a  little  my  junior,  by  the  name  of  Ellis  Blake, 
a  clerk  in  McCarty's  store,  in  the  town  of  Petershatn,  about 
six  miles  distant.  We  had  often  visited  each  other,  on  busi- 
ness or  otherwise,  and  had  formed  quite  an  attachment.  He 
came  one  day  to  the  store  which  I  was  tending,  on  business  ; 
and,  as  was  usual  in  those  days,  I  set  liquor  before  him  ;  and 
I  noticed  that  he  drank  more  freely  than  was  his  usual  habit, 
for  he  was  always  temperate.     He  had  transacted  his  busi- 


64  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

ness,  and  stepped  out  of  the  store ;  soon  afterward  I  heard 
very  loud  and  angry  words,  and  I  thought  one  of  the  voices 
sounded  like  Blake's.  I  had  never  found  him  quarrelsome, 
but  quite  the  reverse  ;  and  concluded  I  must  be  under  amis- 
take.  Still  the  conversation  continued,  and  grew  louder,  and 
more  fierce  and  blustering.  I  at  length  stepped  to  the  door, 
and  was  astonished  to  see  Ellis  Blake  in  close  and  violent 
quarrel  with  a  petulent  old  man  by  the  name  of  Woodward, 
and  stripped  ready  to  fight.  I  immediately  ran  to  him, 
soothed  down  his  ruffled  passions,  and  got  him  into  the  store ; 
but  I  perceived  he  was  intoxicated.  I  however  soon  got  him 
on  his  horse,  and  he  went  home.  Shocking  to  relate,  before 
the  sun  set  that  night,  I  heard  that  he  was  dead  !  It  ap- 
pears that  he  rode  home  as  fast  as  his  horse  would  carry 
him — went  into  the  store  where  JMcCarty  was — wept,  and 
said  he  was  unwell,  that  his  horse  had  thrown  him  ;  and 
McCarty  told  him  to  go  into  the  house — that  he  merely  pass- 
ed through  the  house,  and  from  thence  directly  to  the  barn, 
where  he  drew  off  his  coat,  and,  with  his  silk  bandano  pocket- 
handkerchief,  hung  himself!  He  was  dead  when  they  took 
him  down  ;  although  McCarty  followed  him  within  a  few 
minutes  to  the  house,  and  thence  to  the  barn,  toward  which 
he  was  seen  to  go. 

I  had  never  met  with  an  occurrence  in  my  life  which 
struck  me  with  so  much  horror,  or  excited  in  me  more 
gloomy  sensations.  My  religious  faith  now  came  to  my  aid, 
quickly  dispelling  the  gloom  which  had  oppressed  me,  and 
presenting  to  my  mind  a  brilliant  light  beyond  the  confines  of 
the  grave.  Oh,  thought  I,  how  could  we  endure  occurences 
of  this  nature,  without  the  glorious  hope  of  immortality  ? 
and  that,  universal — for  every  individual  of  our  mortal  race  ! 
I  wrote  a  short  elegy  on  his  death,  with  a  few  reflections, 
which  I  mustered  courage  enough  to  show  to  Mr.  Ballou. — 
He  applauded  the  verses  and  the  sentiments  ;  and  I  was 
compelled  repeatedly  after  that,  by  his  request,  to  recite  or 
exhibit  them  to  our  mutual  friends.  Does  the  reader  wish 
to  know  what  they  were  ? — Well,  you  may  have  them,  for  I 
may  as  well  fill  up  a  little  space,  and  close  a  chapter  with 
them,  as  any  thing  else.  And  you  must  have,  as  the  biog- 
rapher  of  General  Marion  said,  "the  real"  Nathaniel  Stacy  ; 
5'ou  can  make  nothing  else  of  him,  more  or  less.  This  was 
not  the  first  poetry  I  had  written  ;  but  it  was  the  first  I  had 
courage  to  show. 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NAJHANIEL    STACY.  65 

ELEGIAC    LINES. 

WRITTEN   ON  THE   DEATH  OF  ELLIS  BLAKE, 

Hark— youths,  and  mark  the  doleful,  saddening  sound  ! 

Such  solemn  tidings  reach  our  listening  ear  ! 
A  blooming  youth,  so  soon  by  death  cut  down ! 

Bow  o'er  his  urn,  and  drop  the  soothing  tear. 
His  limbs  so  active,  and  his  visage  mild  ; 

At  once,  by  his  own  hand,  their  beauty  fled— 
The  silken  halter  round  his  neck  confined, — 

The  humble  stanchions  bear  the  youthful  dead  ! 
O,  see  his  kindred  weeping  o'er  his  clay, 
,,  ^^f^w  to  the  powerful  hand  that  bears  the  rod— 
,    ■  The  Lord  doth  give,  the  Lord  doth  take  away  ; 

And  blessed  be  the  eternal  name  of  God  !" 
O,  victor,  death  !  to  thee  we  all  must  bow  ; 

Kings,  peasants,  beggars,  to  thy  dart  must  yield  ! 
But  short's  thy  race,  resign  thy  power  must  thou. 

When  our  great  Captain  drives  thee  from  the  field. 
Thy  fatal  dart  again  thou  shalt  not  fling  ; 

Nor  shall  the  grave  a  conqueror  be —  « 

We'll  sing  in  triumph,  "  Death,  where  is  thy  sting  ?  .  • 

O,  grave  !  where  is  thy  boasted  victory  I" 
Then  shall  all  be  united  to  the  head, — 

Christ  is  our  Head,  and  we  the  members  be : 
We'll  sing,  "  Eternal  glory  to  our  God  ;" 

And  in  his  praises  spend  eternity  I 

To  this  home!}'  poem  I  appended  the  following  reflections  : 
-'  Here  we  may  view  the  uncertainty  of  life,  and  the  cer- 
tainty of  death,  in  some  form.  Our  life  is  not  our  own,  but 
a  few  breaths  lent  us  by  our  all-wise  and  bountiful  Creator  ; 
and  he  has  an  undoubted  right  to  recal  them  when  he  sees 
fit.  It  should  be  a  matter  of  indifference  to  us  whether  he 
makes  use  of  our  own  hands  to  accomplish  his  eternal  pur- 
pose,  or  any  other  method  ;  but  it  should  teach  us  to  submit 

patiently  to  the  decrees  of  Heaven,  make  virtue  our  guide 

'  Wait  the  great  teacher,  Death  ;  and  God  adore.'  " 

I  was  rather  more  of  a  Predestinarian.  when  I  wrote  the 
above,  than  1  am  now. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


The  author  enters  an  apprentice  to  a  clockmaker— Mr.  Ballou's  visit  to  the 
shop — Conversation — Engagement  to  study  with  Mr.  Ballou — Scarcity  of 
Books  on  the  doctrine— No  periodicals— No  commentaries— An  illiterate 
ministry— Analogy  of  divine  means  to  introduce  special  dispensations — 
First  attempt  to  preach — Renevi^ed  Resolution-^Meetings  in  New  Salem 
—Accompanies  Mr.  Ballou  to  Mr  Babbit's  ordination,  Jericho,  Vt. — Re 
mains  with  Mr.  Babbit,  and  hinerates  in  that  country— Preaches  in  More 
town,  Bolton,  Montpelier,  Jericho,  Essex  and  Westford— Opposition— 

-  Controversy- Journey  to  Rutland— Visits  Mr.  Ferris  and  Mr.  Rich- 
Preaches  in  Hinesburgh,  New  Plaven  and  SaUsbury— Engages  to  t^eacft 
school — Introduction  to,  and  conversation  with,an  Episcopal  clergyman — 
Return  to  Onion  River— Visit  to  Mr.  Ballou,  in  Barnard — Returns  to  Sal 
isbury  and  commences  school — Delivers  his  first  funeral  discourse  at  Ae 
bmial  of  two  children  in  one  grave — Association  with  Methodists — Eke- 
cution  of  a  Methodist  preacher — Preaches  in  Salisbury,  the  adjac^t 
t»wns,  and  in  Benson — Controversy  in  the  midst  of  a  discourse — Success 
sndp-wspects  of  the  doctrine  in  Addison  county. 

At  the  close  of  my  engagements  with  Mr.  Amsden,  he  offered 
to  recommend  me  to  some  mercantile  house  in  Boston,  where  1 
could  obtain  higher  Avages  ;  or  he  would  assist  me,  if  I  wished, 
to  set  up  business  for  myself.  But,  no — I  had  done  enough 
at  this  business — selling  goods,  by  no  means,  satisfied  my  mind. 
It  was  attended  with  too  much  care ;  and  I  very  well  knew  it 
required  a  better  calculator,  and  a  more  accurate  financier, 
than  myself  to  insure  success ;  and  I  could  not  confine  my 
mind  to  it.  I  wanted  some  employment  that  would  not  require 
much  calculation,  and  would  afford  a  mere  competency,  while 
it  afforded  me  time  for  reading  and  reflection.  There  was  a 
clockmaker  who  had  set  up  his  business  opposite  to  the  store 
that  I  was  in ;  and  I  formed  an  idea  that  his  business  would 
be  the  kind  I  wanted.  I  could  work  at  the  bench,  and  think  ; 
and,  indeed,  I  could  place  a  book  before  me,  and  occasionally 
look  at  it  while  at  work,  after  I  had  learned  my  trade ;  and 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  67 

when  I  had  finished  a  clock,  I  could  sell  it ;  and  get  a  living 
in  this  way,  witjjout  much  care  or  anxiety.  And  I  was  sat- 
isfied I  could  soon  be  master  of  the  trade  ;  for  I  had,  during 
my  clerkship,  taken  many  opportunities  of  running  into  his  shop 
and  working  ;  for  he  allowed  me  to  handle  his  tools  as  much 
as  I  pleased,  and  seemed  to  take  satisfaction  in  showing  me 
the  use  of  them.  And,  discovering  my  inclination,  he  made 
me  an  ofier,  that  if  I  would  work  for  him  one  year,  he  would 
board  me,  and  learn  me  the  trade.  This  I  at  once  accepted, 
and  immediately,  at  the  close  of  my  engagement  with  Mr. 
Amsden,  entered  upon  my  apprenticeship.  And  I  was  truly 
the  best  satisfied  with  this  business  of  any  I  had  hitherto  tried ; 
and  my  time  rolled  cheerfully  on.  I  enjoyed  the  same  oppor- 
tunity of  Mr.  Ballou's  society,  and  of  hearing  him  preach,  as 
before ;  and  I  felt  as  though  I  was  better  improving  my  priv- 
ilege. 

I  had  accomplished  about  one-half  of  the  time  of  my  ap- 
prenticeship, and  thought  I  was  making  pretty  good  profici- 
ency— had  got  so  that  I  could  make  every  part  of  a  clock, 
and  put  it  together  ;  and  was  congratulating  myself  on  having 
discovered  the  means  of  a  livelihood  more  congenial  with  my 
feelings  than  any  I  had  hitherto  tried ;  when,  one  day,  while 
at  work  alone  in  the  shop,  Mr.  Ballou  came  in,  and,  in  his 
usual  pleasant  and  familiar  manner,  began  to  handle  my  toots 
and  inquire  the  use  of  them.  After  conversing  a  while  about 
the  business,  he  turned  to  me,  and  said,  with  an  unusually  se- 
rious air,  "  Brother  Stacy,  what  are  you  tinkering  here  for  ?" 
I  looked  at  him  with  some  degree  of  surprise,  for  we  had  been 
talking  about  the  business  and  its  prospects,  and  answered ; 
"Why,  Brother  Ballou,  to  get  a  living."  "But,"  said  he, 
"you  will  never  follow  this  business  for  a  living."  "Well," 
I  replied,  "  I  do  not  know  that  I  shall.  I  have  tried  many 
ways  to  support  myself,  and  like  none  of  them  very  well. — 
My  mind  is  too  unstable  to  be  successful  in  any  thing ;  and  I 
do  not  know  that  I  shall  succeed  in  this  business ;  but,  at 
present,  I  like  it  better  than  any  that  I  have  before  tried." — 
"  Well,"  said  he,  "  you  will  not  follow  this — this  is  not  your 
business."  "What  is  my  business,  then.  Brother  Ballou?" 
"  Preaching,"  he  replied.  I  was  thunder-struck.  1  know  not 
how  I  looked ;  but  I  felt  as  though  I  must  sink  into  the  earth. 
What,  (thought  I,)  sent  him  here  to  make  such  a  remark? — 
Does  he  mean  to  insult  me  ?  Surely  he  can  not  be  in  earnest ; 
for  he  certainly  knows  that  I  never  could  succeed  so  as  to  be 


68  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

of  any  use  in  the  ministry.  If  I  should  have  the  temerity  to 
attempt  it,  I  should  only  disgrace  the  profession.  And  I  have 
certainly  never  given  him  a  hint  that  f  ever  felt  an  inclination 
to  preach,  nor  any  one  else.  On  the  whole,  I  concluded  he 
meant  it  for  a  joke  ;  but  my  feelings  were  ill  prepared  to  rel- 
ish a  joke  on  that  subject.  I  must,  however,  turn  it  off  as 
well  as  I  could  ;  and  therefore,  after  looking  at  him  earnestly 
a  moment,  I  broke  out  in  as  boisterous  a  laugh  as  I  could 
well  make,  and  exclaimed,  "  Preaching !  I  should  make  noble 
work  of  preaching,  shouldn't  I  ?"  "x\h!"  said  he,  still  look- 
ing  serious,  "  you  may  laugh,  and  make  as  light  of  it  as  you 
please  ;  but  you  have  got  to  preach  the  Gospel.  You  acknow- 
ledge you  have  tried  different  kinds  of  business,  and  feel  sat- . 
isfied  with  none ;  and  you  never  will  feel  satisfied  until  you 
commence  preaching."  His  serious  look,  and  his  language, 
indisposed  me  to  laugh  any  more ;  and  I  said,  "  if  you  are 
really  serious,  Brother  Ballou,  1  will  ask  you  seriously,  how 
you  suppose  I  should  succeed  in  attempting  to  preach,  when 
you  certainly  must  know  that  I  am  destitute  of  every  qualifi- 
cation requisite  for  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel?"  "But,"  he 
asked,  "have  you  never  had  a  desire  to  preach?"  I  replied, 
"  Why — yes — 1  must  confess  that  I  have,  many  times,  most 
seriously  wished  that  I  had  the  ability,  the  grace,  and  the  ne- 
cessary literary  qualifications;  and  then  1  should  rejoice,  above 
all  things,  in  the  privilege  of  proclaiming  the  glad  tidings  of 
the  Gospel  to  the  world."  "  Well,  I  knew  it,"  he  replied  ; 
"  and  did  you  never  dream  of  preaching?"  I  answered,  "  yes  ; 
I  must  acknowledge  I  have  many  times."  "Very  well;  I 
was  sure  Vou  had,"  he  said,  "  Heaven  has  designed  you  for  a 
preacher,  and  you  will  never  be  satisfied  until  you  enter  upon 
the  work."  "But,  Brother  Ballou  !  "  I  replied,  "  I  have  not 
the  qualifications — my  learning  is  not  sufficient ;  and  I  have 
never  made  myself  sufficiently  familiar  with  the  Bible  to  de- 
fend the  doctrine,  in  the  face  of  its  enemies,  successfully. 
And,  besides  all  that,  I  have  not  confidence  enough  to  speak 
in  public  ;  and  were  every  other  qualification  ample,  I  should 
only  wound  the  cause,  were  I  to  attempt  it."  "  Your  learning 
will  do,"  he  replied,  "you  can  study  the  Bible,  and  practice 
will  overcome  your  diffidence.  You  are  welcome  to  my  house, 
to  the  use  of  my  books,  as  long  as  you  need  them,  and  to  all 
the  assistance  I  can  give  you."  Thus  we  conversed  for  a 
long  season ;  I  raising  objections  and  difficulties,  and  he  re- 
moving them,  until,  at  last,  they  were  overcome ;  and,  with 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  69 

much  trembling,  I  accepted  his  generous  offer.  I  settled  with 
ihe  man  for  whom  I  worked,  and,  the  next  week,  entered  Mr. 
Ballou's  study. 

But,  alas,  for  the  books  to  assist  me  in  acquiring  a  know- 
ledge  of  the  theory  of  Universalism,  save  the  holy  Bible  itself! 
His  study,  nay  the  world,  did  not  contain  them.  His  library, 
at  that  time,  was  very  limited.  There  were  no  works  extant,  or 
scarcely  any,  on  the  doctrine  of  Universalism,  except  the  Bi- 
ble. True,  Winchester's  Dialogues,  and  his  Lectures  on  the 
Prophecies,  were  published.  The  Dialogues  I  had  read,  but 
the  Lectures  I  had  never  seen.  I  also  read  Petitpierre,  on 
Divine  Goodness,  and,  shortly  after  this,  Relly's  Union ;  and 
these,  I  believe,  were  all  the  books  I  ever  read  on  the  theory 
of  Universalism,  except  the  Bible,  before  I  commenced  preach- 
ing. But  the  Bible  was  my  stud}^,  and  Mr.  Ballou  my  com- 
mentator. 

When  I  look  around  me  now,  and  see  the  facilities  which 
young  men  enjoy  to  prepare  them  for  the  ministry,  and  help 
them  along  in  the  commencement  of  their  labors,  and  compare 
them  with  the  privileges  which  I  enjoyed,  and  those  of  my 
brethren  who  entered  the  ministry  before  me,  or  about  the 
same  time,  I  envy  them  not ;  but,  while  I  bless  God  for  their 
advantages,  I  am  filled  with  astonishment  at  the  success  which 
attended  our  labors.  As  before  remarked,  there  was  scarcely 
a  work  extant  on  the  subject  of  Universal  Salvation — not  a 
periodical  in  the  wide  world  devoted  to  the  cause,  or  that 
would  dare  to  admit  a  word  in  favor  of  it  in  its  columns. 
There  was  not  a  living  preacher  in  America,  (for  Mr.  Win- 
chester was  dead,)  who  had  ever  put  pen  to  paper,  to  write  a 
word  on  the  doctrine,  except  their  discourses  ;  and  very  few 
of  them  were  written,  and  fewer  still  found  their  way  to  the 
press.  And,  with  all  these  embarrassments,  we  had  to  con- 
front a  well-disciplined  and  learned  ministry ;  a  popular  and 
well-organized  church,  with  a  pampered  and  influential  priest- 
hood at  its  head,  ready  to  scorn,  frown,  or  brow-beat  every 
thing  that  opposed  their  favorite  dogmas,  or  their  spiritual  pride, 
or  their  temporal  interests ;  while  there  was  scarcely  a  preacher 
in  our  ranks  who  professed  the  advantages  of  an  education  ! 
Is  it  not,  then,  supremely  astonishing  that  we  succeeded  at  all  ? 
No — no  !  for  the  work  was  of  God,  not  of  man.  And  this  is 
the  course  which  God  always  pursues  to  manifest  his  own 
power,  to  reveal  and  establish  his  own  truth,  and  display  his 
own  glory.     When  about  to  reveal  a  new  dispensation,  or 


70  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

establish  a  truth  not  hitherto  made  known,  contrary  to  the 
traditions  and  prevailing  prejudices  of  the  world,  Divine  Wis- 
dom ever  chooses  "The  foolish  things  of  the  world  to  con- 
found the  wise,"  "  the  weak  things  of  the  world  to  confound 
the  things  which  are  mighty  ;  and  base  things  of  the  world, 
and  things  which  are  despised,  hath  God  chosen,  yea,  and 
things  which  are  not,  to  bring  to  nought  things  that  are  :  that 
no  flesh  should  glory  in  his  presence."  When  God  would 
deliver  the  children  of  Israel  from  the  iron  oppression  of 
Pharaoh's  arm,  he  took  a  refugee,  an  outcast  from  the  house 
of  Pharaoh,  a  wanderer  in  a  strange  land,  keeper  of  the  flocks 
of  Jethro,  priest  of  Midian :  and  sent  him  to  Egypt,  to  con- 
found the  wisdom  of  Pharaoh's  magicians,  and  overthrov/  the 
gigantic  power  of  that  monarch.  When  he  would  deliver  his 
terror-stricken  people  from  the  exterminating  power  of  the 
Philistine  host,  he  took  a  stripling  from  the  sheep-fold,  to  kill 
the  boasting  Goliah  of  Gath,  and  scatter  his  army.  And  when 
the  Savior  of  the  world  would  make  bare  his  mighty  arm  for 
the  deliverance  of  our  fallen  race,  he  passed  by  the  wise,  the 
great,  and  the  renowned,  and  selected  humble,  illiterate  fish- 
ermen to  be  the  first  recipients  and  promulgators  of  that  truth 
which,  in  its  progress,  should  overset  kingdoms,  demolish  em- 
pires, and  overturn  the  existing  order  of  things  throughout  the 
whole  world ;  and  renovate,  reform,  and  remodel  it  upon  a 
permanent  basis  of  righteousness.  It  is  not  strange,  then, 
when  God  would  reform  the  wandering  and  back-slidden 
church,  and  bring  it  out  of  the  wilderness,  that  he  should  make 
use  of  such  means  to  re-establish  his  own  truth ;  and  to  con- 
vince the  world  that  the  truth  and  the  power  were  of  God,  and 
not  of  man.  Indeed,  it  would  have  been  strange  had  it  been 
otherwise. 

I  remained  with  Mr.  Ballon  but  a  short  period  ;  and,  when 
at  home,  my  time  was  devoted  to  the  careful  study  of  the 
Scriptures,  hearing  Mr.  Ballou's  comments  on  them,  (for  he 
was  always  ready  to  assist  me,  and  answer  any  question  I 
proposed  to  him,)  to  arranging  discourses  on  particular  sub- 
jects, and  writing  sketches  of  sermons.  I  also  traveled  with 
him  to  his  appointments,  very  generally,  that  I  might  enjoy 
the  benefit  of  his  private  conversation,  as  well  as  his  public 
discourses  ;  for  he  had  now  done  riding  to  Vermont  and  Cape 
Ann ;  and  his  circuit,  if  i  mistake  not,  was  wholly  confined 
to  the  county  of  Worcester,  the  towns  of  Dana,  Brookfield, 
Charleston,  Oxford,  Sturbridge,  &c. 


LIFE  OF  REV.  NATHANIEL  STACY.  71 

It  was  in  the  month  of  October,  1802,  if  I  rightly  recollect, 
m  the  24th  year  of  my  age,  that  I  entered  the  study  of  Mr- 
Ballou.  I  had  been  with  him  not  to  exceed  one  month,  when, 
one  Sunday  morning,  being  his  appointment  in  Dana,  after 
we  had  reached  the  village,  and  called  at  the  house  of  our 
friend  Amsden,  Mr.  Ballou  was  seized  with  a  violent  pain  in 
the  head,  and  came  to  me  with  his  hand  on  his  forehead,  say- 
ing, very  mournfully,  "  Brother  Stacy,  you  must  preach  to- 
day ;  for  I  am  in  such  violent  pain,  I  can  not."  It  was  a  dark, 
lowery  morning;  very  few  had  assembled,  and,  in  all  proba- 
bility, the  congregation  would  be  composed  wholly  of  our 
particular  friends.  I  looked  at  him  to  see  if  he  was  really  in 
earnest;  and  seeing  that  he  looked  quite  serious,  I  replied, 
"Why,  I  guQss  you  can  preach,  well  enough;  and,  besides, 
you  know  I  can  not  make  an  attempt  at  beginning  hbre,  among 
my  familiar  acquaintances, — I  should  be  confounded,  and 
break  down  at  once.  Moreover,  if  you  had  any  idea  of  set- 
ting  me  to  preach  to-day,  you  should  have  informed  me  be- 
fore we  left  home.  I  have  some  manuscripts  which  I  could 
have  taken  for  assistance  ;  but  I  have  now-  not  a  scroll  of  wri- 
ting with  me.  I  cannot  attempt  to  go  into  the  desk  to-day." 
^'  I  am  glad,"  he  said,  "  you  have  no  writing  with  you ;  it 
would  only  be  a  trouble  to  you.  You  must  learn  to  preach 
extemporaneously  ;  and  the  better  way  is  to  begin  in  the  first 
place."  "But,"  I  answered,  "I  cannot  attempt  it  to-day ; 
and  I  never  can  begin  here.  I  must  go  among  strangers  in 
the  first  place ;  I  shall  feel  less  embarrassment  there,  I'm 
sure.  Here  every  body  knows  me,  and  I  shall  certainly 
break  down  under  their  suspicious  gaze."  "No,"  he  said, 
"  this  is  the  very  place;  and  this  is  the  time  for  you  to  begin. 
There  will  be  but  a  small  congregation,  to-day,  and  these, 
all  our  special  friends.  They  know  you  are  designing  to 
preach,  and  they  all  want  to  hear  you  ;  and  they  will  be  rea- 
dy to  overlook  your  diffidence,  make  every  allowance,  and 
pardon  every  blunder ;  and  when  once  you  have  made  your 
dehut,  the  way  will  be  broken,  and  you  will  begin  to  feel  a 
freedom.  And,  besides,  you  may  say  just  what  you  please, 
and  I'll  get  up  and  prove  it  all  true,  by  Scripture ;"  and  with 
that  he  turned  away,  leaving  me  confounded,  and  almost 
stupified.  In  a  few  moments  he  returned,  with  some  half- 
dozen  of  our  friends,  who  surrounded  me  with,  "  Brother 
Stacy !  come,  preach  to-day ; — this  is  your  time  to  begin — 
the  very  best  time  you  ever  can  have ;  and  when  once  you 


72  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

have  made  a  beginning,  the  worst  will  be  over :  and  the 
sooner  you  begin  the  better."  By  their  united  importunity, 
I  was  at  length  led,  "  like  an  ox  to  the  slaughter,"  into  the 
desk !  But  Belshazzar's  knees  could  never  smite  together 
more  violently,  when  he  saw  the  hand-writing  upon  the  wall, 
than  did  mine  when  I  arose  to  address  the  congregation  !  They 
were  all  my  intimate  acquaintances,  and  they  gazed  at  me 
with  astonishment.  They  had,  indeed,  been  made  acquaint- 
ed with  my  determination  to  try  to  preach  ;  but  they  did  not 
expect  it  that  day,  nor,  probably,  ever  expect  that  I  should 
attempt  to  make  my  debut  in  that  place.  I  was  not,  however, 
afraid  of  their  censure ;  I  knew  they  were  friends  to  the 
cause,  and  friends  to  me.  But  I  felt  my  own  insufficiency, 
my  own  nothingness ;  and  the  absolute  preposterousness  of 
attempting  to  teach  those  whose  experience  was  so  much  great- 
er than  mine,  and  whose  knowledge  must,  consequently,  far 
exceed  that  of  mine.  But  notwithstanding  that,  I  felt  no  re- 
£^ret  that  I  had  resolved  to  enter  the  ministry ;  no  inclination 
to  give  up  exertions  to  become  a  useful  laborer  in  the  vine- 
yard, but  rather  a  renewed  resolution  to  persevere  ;  and  I  de- 
voutly prayed  for  strength,  and  boldness  in  the  good  cause. 
The  congregation  took  their  seats,  and  1  arose,  and  with  a 
trembling  voice  read  a  hymn,  or  rather  a  psalm,  for  we  used 
Watts'  psalms  and  hymns.  And  here  I  made  a  blunder  in 
the  outset — I  read  a  psalm  and  called  it  a  hymn;  and  the 
choir  would  not  have  found  it  had  not  Mr.  Ballou  corrected 
the  mistake.  This  added  to  my  embarrassment,  and  I  be- 
gan to  fear  that  I  should  not  be  able  to  tell  where  my  text 
might  be  found,  nor  read  it  right,  if  I  could  find  it  myself. 
However,  they  sung,  and  I  arose,  made  a  short  prayer,  and 
put  out  another  hymn  correctly.  After  the  choir  had  conclu- 
ded singing,  I  again  arose,  and  it  vvas  well  that  I  had  a  desk 
to  lay  my  bible  on,  and  to  lean  against,  otherwise  I  felt  sure  I 
could  not  have  seen  a  letter,  and  it  is  very  questionable  whe- 
ther I  should  have  been  able  to  stand  up.  But  I  opened  the 
bible  and  read,  I  guess,  intelligibly,  the  8th  verse  of  the  40th 
chapter  of  Isaiah  :  "  The  grass  Avithereth,  and  the  flower  fa- 
deth  ;  but  the  word  of  our  God  shall  stand  forever."  I  spoke 
probably  twenty  or  twenty-five  minutes  ;  but  I  attended  to 
every  proposition  of  my  text,  and  finished  my  discourse.  Mr. 
Ballou  then  arose  and  closed  the  service ;  and  it  appeared  to 
me,  that  I  never  heard  so  fervent  and  pathetic  a  prayer  utter- 
ed by  mortal  man  before.     I  heard  no  more  of  Mr.  Ballou's 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY,  73 

headache — he  was  well  enough,  as  far  as  T  could  discover, 
when  he  got  me  into  the  desk ;  for  he  made  no  complaint  in 
the  afternoon,  but  preached  like  an  Apostle.  1  told  him  after- 
wards, and  I  always  believed  it,  that  his  headache  was  feign- 
ed ;  though  I  could  never  make  him  own,  or  deny  it.  After 
we  had  left  the  meeting-house,  1  asked  Mr.  Ballou  how  I  got 
along  with  my  discourse  ?  For,  said  1,  it  is  nearly  impossi- 
ble for  me  to  recollect  any  thing  I  said.  O,  he  replied,  you 
did  very  well — I  thought  you  sometimes  made  rather  long 
pauses  between  your  sentences ;  but  you  preached  a  better 
sermon  than  Mr.  Babbit  did  the  other  day.  This  I  set  down 
for  what  it  was  worth ;  for  I  supposed  it  was  said  merely  to 
encourage  me.  Mr.  Babbit  had  been  preaching  about  two 
years ;  and  the  discourse  he  alluded  to,  was  called  a  very 
good  discourse.  But  Mr.  Ballou  used  every  possible  means 
he  could  devise  to  inspire  me  with  confidence,  encourage,  and 
help  me  along. 

The  way  was  now  broken,  I  had  opened  my  mouth  in  pub- 
lic, as  an  advocate  of  the  doctrine  of  God's  Universal  Grace  ; 
and  I  must  now  strive  to  keep  my  armor  bright  for  the  con- 
test, and  be  always  ready  to  defend  the  truth  against  the 
attacks  of  its  enemies,  and  to  answer  such  calls  to  speak  in 
public,  (for  1  dare  not  call  it  preaching,)  as  I  should  receive. 
1  therefore  applied  myself  closely  to  the  study  of  the  inspired 
word,  to  watchfulness  and  prayer,  that  I  might  be  found  clad 
with  "the  whole  armor  of  God  ;  and  having  done  all,  to 
stand."  For  I  now  resolved,  God  being  my  helper,  to  de- 
vote my  life,  with  all  the  talents  he  had  given  me,  to  the  pro- 
mulgation of  the  Gospel,  with  all  faithfulness  and  perseve- 
rance, to  the  end. 

My  second  attempt  to  address  a  congregation  was  at  my 
own  father's  house.  All  this  was  entirely  contrary  to  my 
calculations,  when  I  commenced  my  study,  and  consented  to 
try  to  preach.  I  designed  to  study  with  Mr.  Ballou  until  I 
thought  myself  pretty  well  prepared,  then  get  him  to  give  an 
appointment  somewhere  among  entire  strangers,  at  least,  for 
the  first  time  ;  where,  I  concluded,  I  should  feel  less  embar- 
rassment  than  among  acquaintances.  But  Providence  other- 
wise had  ordered  it  ;  I  had  commenced  among  intimate  ac- 
quaintances, and  it  seemed  to  be  necessary  I  should  persevere 
among  them.  I  went  home  on  a  visit  soon  after  my  first  at- 
tempt ;  but  the  news  of  my  attempt  had  preceded  me,  and  cu- 
riosity, if  nothing  more,  was  excited  ;  the  neighbors  and  my 


74  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

old  associates  wanted  to  hear,  and  they  would  not  be  denied ; 
nor  was  it  so  difficult  a  task  to  make  up  my  mind  to  gratify 
them,  as  it  was  to  commence  speaking  in  the  first  instance. 
An  appointment  was  therefore  given  out  ;  and  I  endeavored 
to  impress  on  the  minds  of  my  auditors  the  solemn  importance 
of  religion,  as  well  as   to  illustrate  and  defend  the  despised 
doctrine  of  Universalism.     My  third  and  fourth  were  delivered 
at  the  house  of  a  near  neighbor  of  my  father  ;  and  my  fifth 
at  the  house  of  a  brother-in-law,  in  another  part  of  the  town. 
The  above-named  were  all,  or  nearly  all,  the  discourses  I 
delivered  before  I  left  Massachusetts  and  went  to  Vermont. 
Mr.   Babbit,  whose  name  has  been  mentioned,  had  accepted 
an  invitation  from  a  small  society  in  Jericho — or  rather  from 
an  individual  of  that  society,  Mr.  John  Thompson,  father  *of 
the  celebrated  Dr.    Thompson,  author  of  the  Thompsonian 
theory  of  physic — to  settle  with  them,  for  a  season,  and  had 
removed  his  family  into  that  town.     Mr.   Thompson  agreed 
to  furnish  him  with  a  house  and  barn,  provisions  for  his  fam- 
ily, keeping  for  a  horse  and  cow,  and  fuel  for  his  fire,  for  one 
year,  in  addition  to  what  he  would  receive  from  the  societies 
to  which  he  engaged  to  preach.     The  society  had  applied  for 
his  ordination,  and  Mr.  Ballon  was  chosen  as  one  of  the  coun- 
cil.    In  December,  1082,  he  started  for  the  place,  and  I  ac- 
companied him.     Mr.  Babbit  was  anxious  that  I  should  re- 
main with  him.     There   was  a  great  field  for  labor  around 
him,  and  numerous  and  urgent  calls  for  preaching  more  than 
he  could  possibly  supply  ;  for  there  was  no  other  preacher  of 
the  order  in  all  that  part  of  the  state.     I  was  young,  just  en- 
tered upon  the  ministry,  and  this  was  a  right  field  for  my  la- 
bors ;  I  should  grow  up  with  the  young  societies,  &c. 

I  therefore  consented  to  remain  ;  and  spent  the  winter  in 
in  that  region.  My  first  discourse  in  Vermont  was  delivered 
January  20th,  1803,  at  the  house  of  Esq.  Hazleton,  in  More- 
town,  on  Onion  River.  1  made  Mr.  Babbit's  residence  my 
home,  Mr.  Thompson  extending  his  charity  also  to  me  ;  but  I 
extended  my  labors  up  Onion  River  as  far  as  Montpelier,  and 
through  the  towns  of  Moretown,  Bolton,  Jericho,  Essex,  and 
Westford.  I  had  as  many  calls  as  I  could  well  attend  to  ; 
but,  during  the  winter,  also  found  some  opportunity  for  read- 
ing ;  and  Mr.  Babbit  was  a  tolerable  cemmentator  for  me. 
[  also  wrote  out  some  discourses  in  full. 

Although  I  suffered  much  from  diffidence,  in  my  public 
exercises,  yet  [  found  that  I  gradually  gained  confidence,  could 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  "  75 

command  my  feelings,  and  my  recollection  better,  and  began 
to  feel  more  encouraged  that  1  should  be  able  to  overconle 
my  timidity  entirely  ;  and  the  constant  opposition  I  met  with, 
from  opposers  of-  the  doctrine,  had  a  very  great  tendency  to 
enable  me  to  do  so,  in  a  great  measure.  I  was  but  a  boy,  in- 
experienced .;  and  this  encouraged  opposers  to  make  attacks 
upon  me,  on  every  occasion.  I  scarcely  delivered  a  discourse, 
ar  even  entered  a  house  to  warm  or  refresh  myself,  but  I  had 
to  meet  an  opposer  in  argument.  I  "sometimes  felt  a  little 
abashed  at  the  first  onset  ;  but  m^y  confidence  in  the  truth  of 
the  doctrine,  and  my  zeal  for  its  promulgation,  would  soon  in- 
spire me  with  courage,  and  I  would  defend  it,  if  not  with  the 
skill,  yet  with  all  the  boldness  of  a  veteran. 

One  evening,  at  the  close  of  a  discourse  delivered  in  a 
well-filled  school-house,  in  the  town  of  Westford,  three  men 
came  upon  me  altogether,  with  their  denunciations  Of  the  doc- 
trine I  had  advanced,  and  in  a  clamorous  manner  began  to 
ask  me  questions.  I  said  to  them,  "  Gentlemen,  have  the  good- 
ness to  speak  one  at  a  time,  and  give  me  time  to  answer,  and 
I'll  wait  on  you  with  pleasure,  as  long  as  you  desire  ;  but 
there  must  be  some  order,  or  I  cannot  give  intelligible  an- 
swers." They  seemed  a  little  ashamed  at  their  unpoliteness, 
and  concluded  to  adopt  that  course,  though  they  all  seemed 
resolved  to  have  a  stroke  at  me.  One  of  them  stepped  for- 
ward and  put  a  number  of  questions,  which  I  answered  as  well 
as  I  could  ;  and  so  answered,  as  at  least  to  confound  him. 
When  he  drew  back,  the  second  came,  who  also,  soon  gave 
place  to  the  third.  This  was  a  valiant  soldier,  filled  with  holy 
wrath  against  such  heresy  and  heretics — ^his  zeal  was  warmed 
to  a  high  degree,  and  his  voice  trembled  with  emotion,  as  h& 
stepped  into  the  arena,  with  the  courage  of  a  Napoleon,  de- 
termined to  have  me  down,  by  fair  play,  or  by  foul.  His  ar- 
guments were  hard  almost  as  brick-bats,  but  made  no  impres- 
sion on  me,  and  very  little,  I  apprehended,  on  any  member  of 
the  audience  ;  for  they  were  heated  so  highly,  that  they  ex- 
ploded before  reaching  the  object  at  which  they  aimed.  I 
endeavored  to  keep  cool,  though  it  was  rather  difficult  amidst 
such  showers  of  hot  balls  ;  but  I  treated  his  arguments  with 
all  the  candor,  at  least,  they  merited.  As  defeat  seemed  to 
stare  him  in  the  face,  he  resolved  to  make  one  bold  and  irresist- 
ible effort,  which,  undoubtedly,  he  designed  should  close  all 
argument,  and  for  ever  seal  up  the  mouths  of  Universalists  ; 
and  he  took  (reader,  don't  be  surprised  out  of  your  senses) 


76  •  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

this  invulnerable  position,  wkich  I  give  in  his  own  unmistakable 
language:  "If  you  have  proved  the  salvation  of  all  men, 
you  have  not  proved  that  all  women  will  be  saved  !"  There, 
reader  !  will  you  ever  dare  again  to  open  your  mouth,  in 
favor  of  Universal  Salvation  ?  Will  you  not  now  give  it  up, 
and  come  to  the  conclusion,  almost,  that  it  is  ri^ht  for  some 
people  to  be  endlessly  miserable,  inasmuch  as  their  attach- 
ment to  that  cherished  and  beloved  dogma  is  so  violent,  that 
they  would  thrust  wohien  into  their  hell,  or  even  rather  go 
there  themselves,  than  have  it  fail  !  This  remark  tended  more 
to  confound  me  than  any  thing  the  man  had  said ;  for  I  felt 
such  a  degree  of  astonishment,  mingled  with  disgust,  that  my 
first  impression  was  to  treat  it  with  silent  contempt.  But, 
thinking  it  possible  that  there  might  be  some  in  the  congrega- 
tion (for  none  had  withdrawn)  weak  enough  to  take  it  for  ar- 
gument, I  thought  it  best  to  leave  no  possible  chance  for  mis- 
conception. I  therefore  looked  at  the  man  for  a  moment  with 
indignation,  for  his  whole  demeanor  had  merited  nothing  but 
contempt — and  replied,  "  I  am  truly  astonished,  sir,  that  a  man 
professing  to  be  a  gentleman,  and  a  Christian,  should  conde- 
scend to  resort  to  so  mean  a  subterfuge.  Your  remark  is  un- 
worthy a  reply,  it  merits  only  contempt  :  but  for  the  sake  of 
those  that  stand  by,  I  will  merely  remark  that  the  Apostle 
says,  '  There  is  neither  Jew  nor  Greek,  there  is  neither  bond 
nor  free,  there  is  neither  male  nor  female  ;  for  ye  are  all  one 
in  Christ  Jesus.'  "  The  man,  manifestly,  turned  away 
ashamed  ;  the  congregation  broke  out  into  a  laugh,  and  the 
controversy  closed. 

Mr.  Babbit  had  some  business  to  transact  in  Rutland,  near 
a  hundred  miles  to  the  south  ;  and  in  the  month  of  March  I 
volunteered  to  go  and  do  it  for  him.  This  enabled  me  to  visit 
Mr.  Ferris  and  Mr.  Rich,  whose  places  of  residence  lay  on 
the  route.  Mr.  Rich  had  accepted  the  invitation  of  a  society 
recently  organized  in  the  town  of  New  Haven,  Addison 
county,  to  settle  with  them,  and  a  few  weeks  previous  to  this 
had  removed  his  family  from  Warwick,  Mass.,  to  that  place. 
Mr.  Ferris  furnished  me  with  letters  of  introduction  to 
friends  in  the  town  of  Salisbury,  where  I  delivered  a  lecture 
on  my  way  out,  and  made  an  appointment  for  a  Sabbath  on 
my  return.  In  Salisbury,  on  my  return,  I  was  solicited  to 
teach  their  school,  the  ensuing  summer  ;  and  as  it  became 
necessary  to  resort  to  some  means  to  provide  the  necessaries 
of  life,  (for  I  had  not  probably  received  to  the  amount  of  five 
dollars  for  all  my  labors  since  I  entered  the  ministry,  although 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  77 

I  had  traveled  many  hundred  miles,)  and  as  there  appeared 
also  a  promising  field  for  my  sacerdotal  operations,   I  readily 
entered    into  an    engagement  to   teach  their  school  for  four 
months,  commencing  the  first  of  May.     On  this  journey,  I  also 
delivered  discourses  in  'New  Haven,  at  Mr.  Rich's  ;  and  in 
Monkton,  or  rather  Hinesburgh,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Mr. 
Ferris'.     In  New  Haven  I  met  Richard  Carrique,  who  soon 
after  this  became  a  preacher,  and  labored  in  the  connection 
for   many  years,  with  acceptance  and  good   success.     Mr. 
Rich  remarked  to  me,  after  I  had  delivered  my  discourse  in 
his    house,  in  which  I  suffered  an  unusual  embarrassment, 
probably  on  account  of  his  presence — that  he   perceived  the 
"  root  of  the  matter  was  in  me,"  "  but  (said  he)  you  need  more 
experience  ;"  and  he  gave  me  much  good  counsel  and  fatherly 
advice.     He  was  an  old  and  faithful  laborer,  and  a  good  man. 
He  was  one  of  the  earliest  preachers  of  the  doctrine  in  Amer- 
ica, and  though  not  a  learned   man,  was    a  sound  reasoner, 
and  an   able    advocate  of  the   truth.     At  Hinesburgh,  afte.r 
meeting,  Mr.  Ferris  introduced  me  to  a  Mr.  Catlin,  an  Epis- 
copalian clergyman,  who  was  present.     He  said   he  did  not 
do  it  before  meeting,  lest  it  should  embarrass  me.     It  might 
have  done  so ;  but  as  it  was  I  enjoyed  an  unusual  degree  of 
freedom  in  my  discourse,  which  much  flattered  me  that  I 
should  soon  be  able  to  conquer  my  unhappy  diffidence.     Mr. 
Catlin  gave  me  an  invitation  to  call  on  him  ;  and  as  I  should 
pass  his  residence  the  next  morning,  I  agreed  to  do  so.     I 
called  and  spent  some  hours  with  him  the  next  day,  and  en- 
joyed a  very  agreeable  interview.     He  showed  me  a  discourse 
in  MS.,  which  he  had  delivered  from  the  same  text  that  I 
made  use  of  the  evening  before  ;  and  on  comparing  the  dis- 
courses, they  proved  very  similar.     But  he  must  oppose  Uni- 
versalism  a  little,  as  it  appeared  in  the  sequel,  merely  to  try 
my  strength.     He  brought  another  MS.  which  he  had  written 
and  delivered,  on  the  subject  of  the  sheep  and  goats,  in  Matt. 
25th,  which  he  had  treated  in  the  common  Orthodox  way,  ma- 
king it  a  representation  of  a  day  of  final  judtrment,  &c.,  lay- 
ing great  stress  upon  the  Greek  word  rendered,  everlasting 
and  eternal.     He  asked  me  if  I  was  a  Greek  scholar ;  and  be- 
ing informed  that  I  was  not,  he  went  and  got  his  Greek  Tes- 
tament, and  manifested  much  solicitude  to  show  me  that  the 
original  word  was  the  same,  in  reference  both  to  punishment 
of  the  wicked  and  life  of  the  righteous.     I  remarked,  that  al- 
though not  a  Greek  scholar,  I  was  aware  of  the  fact  he  stated  ; 


78  MEMOIRS   OF   THE 

and  I  considered  the  words  of  equal  import  ;  and  the  differ- 
ent conditions  to  which  they  were  applied,  in  that  parable,  of 
equal  duration.  Well,  how  could  I  get  along,  then,  with  the 
doctrine  of  Universal, Salvation  ?  "  Mr.  Catlin,"  said  I,  "  will 
you  answer  me,  frankly,  two  or  three  questions  ?"  "  Yes." 
"  Well,  sir,  is  our  immortal  salvation  of  grace — pure  grace  ? 
or  is  it  a  reward  for  works  that  we  have  done  ?"  "  Oh,  it  is 
of  free,  grace,  to  be  sure,  not  a  reward  for  the  works  of  the 
creature."  "  Well,  sir,  will  you  have  the  goodness  to  read 
your  text  again,  or  hear  me  read  it  ?  '  Come,  ye  blessed  of 
my  Father,  &c. — For  I  was  an  hungered  and  ye  gave  me 
meat,  &c.  And  inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  unto  one  of  the 
least  of  these,  my  brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto  me.'  "  Now, 
is  not  the  eternal  life,  actually  and  truly  a  reward  for  those  , 
deeds  of  benevolence  and  charity  ?  Is  there  any  thing  like 
free  grace,  in  the  bestowment  of  this  blessedness  ?"  "  No  ; 
1  must  confess  there  is  not — it  is  plainly  a  reward  for  works." 
"  Well,  sir,  is  the  doctrine  you  have  drawn  from  this  text  cor- 
rect, then  ?"  He  answered,  with  a  smile,  "  No  ;  I  must  con 
fess  k  is  not."  And  then  he  began  to  talk  more  freely 
with  me  on  the  doctrine  of  God's  Universal  Grace  ;  an^d 
Anally  acknowledged  that  he  was  as  strong  in  the  faith  ot  it 
as  I  was.  He  had  been  making  it  the  special  subject  of  his 
study  for  some  time,  and  had  become  fully  convinced  of  the 
truth  ;  but  he  hesitated  about  declaring  it  publicly.  He  did 
not  know  that  the  time  had  fully  come  to  publish  it  to  the 
world  ;  perhaps  they  would  make  a  bad  use  of  it — it  might 
lead  to  licentiousness,  &c.  1  replied,  that  course  might  do  for 
him,  but  it  would  never  answer  my  feelings.  I  could  not  be 
a  hypocrite  ;  if  I  preached  at  all,  I  must  openly  and  boldly 
preach  what  I  believed  God  had  revealed  as  his  truth  ;  and 
leave  the  event  in  the  hands  of  infinite  Wisdom.  Nor  had  I 
aJiy  fear  that  that  truth  v/hich  converted  me,  and  made  me 
love  God,  and  all  his  works — love  righteousness  and  hate  sin, 
would  have  a  bad  effect  upon  others. 

■"^^^This  interview  constituted  a  subject  for  thought  and  reflec- 
tion during  my  ride  to  Jericho.  It  is  probable,  quite  probable, 
that  there  are  many,  perhaps  hundreds  of  the  popular  clergy 
in  America,  in  the  same  situation  of  Mr.  Catlin  ;  who  are  ra- 
tionally convinced  of  the  truth  of  Universal  Salvation,  but  from 
some  cause,  either  the  fear  of  losing  their  popularity  or  their 
salaries,  or  the  dread  of  meeting  opposition,  or  the  timidity 
produced  by  that  slavish  fear,  under  whose  influence  they  have 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  79 

SO  long  groaned;  think  it  "better  to  be  on  the  safe  side," 
to  secure  the  favor  of  both  parties ;  and  say,  "  Good  Lord  and 
good  devil,"  and  thus  play  the  hypocrite — bury  the  treasure 
tney  have  found  among  the  rubbish  of  human  creeds  and  for- 
mularies— and,  in  mingling  with  the  opposers  of  divine  truth, 
if  they  do  not  inveigh  against  it  with  virulence,  say  nothing 
publicly  in  favor  of  it,  but,  by  all  means,  say  enough  to  make 
the  world  think  they  are  no  Universalists.  Alas  !  whatever 
they  may  think,  they  are  not  Universalists.  Their  under- 
standing, probably,  is  convinced  that  the  Bible  teaches  the 
doctrine ;  for  they  very  well  know  that  it  does  not  teach  end- 
less misery ;  they  know  that  the  most  erudite  and  learned 
among  them  can  not  successfully  defend  his  theory  against  an 
illiterate  stripling  to  whom  God  has  taught  his  sacred  truth. 
But  this  truth  has  never  reached  their  hearts ;  if  it  had,  they 
would  never  make  the  puerile  plea,  that  they  feared  it  would 
lead  to  licentiousness— they  would  know  better,  and  find  a 
refutation  of  it  in  their  own  hearts ;  nor  could  they  resist  the 
inclination  to  "  proclaim  it  upon  the  house-top" — they  would 
feel,  that  if  they  "  should  hold  their  peace,  the  stones  would 
cry  out."  I  saw  Mr.  Catlin  once  after  this,  at  Mr.  Ballou's, 
in  Barnard  ;  and  indulged  a  hope  that  he  was  coming  out  im. 
defense  of  the  Gospel,  but  he  never  did,  or  he  never  united 
with  our  connection ;  and  I  heard  no  more  of  him. 

I  had  made  several  appointriients  in  the  region  of  Onion 
River,  to  fulfil  on  my  return,  previous  to  my  journey  to  Rut- 
land. These  I  felt  under  solemn  obligation  to  attend  to :  for 
I  had  never,  yet,  disappointed  a  congregation  by  failing  to  fulfil 
my  appointments.  I  knew  well  that  nothing,  scarcely,  could 
operate  more  to  the  disadvantage  of  a  cause,  than  to  have  its 
advocates  manifest  an  indifference  and  carelsesness  in  fulfil- 
ling their  appointments.  I  was  aware  that  I  could  not  preach 
very  well ;  but  I  set  out  with  the  resolution  to  make  amends  for 
that  deficiency,  as  far  as  possible,  by  a  scrupulous  punctuality 
in  attending  all  appointments  which  I  made.  And  I  have, 
through  the  whole  period  of  my  ministry,  of  over  forty  years, 
made  but  very  few  disappointments,  considering  the  extent  of 
my  itineracy.  I  have  traveled,  repeatedly,  through  storms, 
and  over  roads  which  most  people  would  think  unendurable 
and  impassable,  for  miles  on  miles,  to  meet  appointments,  when 
I  was  confident  people  would  think  it  a  hardship  to  travel  a 
half-mile  to  attend  meeting.  But  that  would  not  excuse  my 
neglect.     I  had  made  the  appointment — God  had  given  me 


so  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

health  and  strength  to  endure  the  fatigue,  and  I  must  be  there  ; 
that  people  might  be  sure,  when  I  made  an  appointment,  they 
need  fear  no  disappointment,  if  they  felt  disposed  to  attend. 
I  have  very  often  heard  people  say,  that  they  were  more  dis- 
appointed in  seeing  me  on  the  ground,  than  they  would  have 
been  at  my  absence 

This  had  been  a  very  cold  winter.  I  noticed,  during  the 
months  of  January  and  February,  forty  days  or  more,  that  it 
snowed  more  or  less  every  day ;  or  rather  the  air  was  filled 
with  a  kind  of  frost,  and  if  the  sun  showed  his  face  at  all,  it 
was  a  pale  face,  looking  despiaringly  through  a  gloomy  and 
frosty  atmosphere.  It  was  not  warm  enough,  during  the  pe- 
riod I  have  mentioned,  to  form  an  icicle  on  the  south  side  of 
a  building.  But  through  this  freezing  atmosphere,  and  amid 
a  still  more  chilling  moral  frost,  produced  by  the  soul-freezing 
influence  of  human  creeds,  the  belief  in  God's  free,  universal 
grace  enkindled  sufficient  warmth  of  zeal  in  my  breast  to 
keep  me  alive,  and  propel  me  forward  in  the  good  cause. 

1  had  now  spent  nearly  four  months,  itinerating  in  this  re- 
gion, and  proclaiming  free  grace  to  all  to  whom  Providence 
gave  me  access.  I  had  formed  many  agreeable  acquaintances, 
among  whom  I  may  name  Mr.  John  Thompson,  of  Jericho  ; 
Esq.  Knickerbocker,  of  Essex  ;  Esq.  Hazleton,  of  Moretown  ; 
Capt.  Hazleton,  of  Westford ;  and  many  others  ;  and  I  had 
reason  to  believe,  I  had  seen  some  fruits  spring  up  under  my 
feeble  labors.  But  the  time  had  now  arrived  (the  latter  part 
of  April)  when  it  became  necessary  to  take  leave  of  this  sec- 
tion of  the  Redeemer's  vineyard,-  and  bid  farewell  to  the 
friends  I  have  named,  never  more  to  meet  them  in  the  flesh  ; 
for  I  have  never  since  been  able  to  visit  that  section  of  country, 
although  I  have  earnestly  desired  it. 

I  returned  to  Salisbury  sufficiently  early,  before  commenc- 
ing my  school,  to  afford  me  an  opportunity  to  cross  the  moun- 
tain and  visit  my  friends,  in  Windsor  county.  Some  time 
during  the  preceding  winter,  Mr.  Ballou  had  removed  his 
family  from  Dana,  Mass.,  to  Barnard,  and  settled  with  the 
united  societies  of  Woodstock,  Bridgewater,  Barnard,  and 
Bethel.  I  made  him  a  short  visit,  went  to  Bridgewater, 
where  two  of  my  sisters  resided,  and  where  I  had  spent  parts 
of  several  years,  in  early  life.  Here,  by  the  request  of  friends, 
I  preached  one  Sunday,  and  delivered  a  lecture  at  the 
house  of  my  old  friend,  Captain  Shaw,  by  the  special  re- 
quest of  his  lady.     She  was  not  at  that  time  a  Universalist, 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  81 

but  a  special  friend  to  me  ;  and,  many  years  afterward,  I  had 
the  pleasure  of  meeting  her  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and  of 
finding  her  happy  in  the  faith  of  a  world's  salvation.  On  my 
return  to  Addison  county,  I  also  spent  one  Sunday  in  Roches- 
ter, where  I  had  a  brother,  and  gave  two  discourses  to  respect- 
able congregations.  1  believe  there  had  never  been  a  dis- 
course delivered  in  that  town  by  a  Universaiist  preacher.  I 
reached  Salisbury  in  season  to  commence  my  school,  accord- 
ing to  engagement. 

The  ensuing  summer,  my  time  was  employed  in  my  school, 
in  which,  I  believe,  I  was  tolerably  successful.  I  also  preached 
in  that  and  the  neighboring  towns  on  Sundays,  and  delivered 
lectures  occasionally.  I  had  been  there  but  a  few  days  when 
I  was  called,  for  the  first  time,  to  administer  the  consolations 
of  the  Gospel  to  souls  in  heavy  and  deep  afiliction.  Mr.  Ab- 
ner  Moore,  one  of  the  members  of  the  district,  and  one  of  the 
few  Universalists  in  that  place,  lost  two  children,  all  that  he 
had,  in  one  day,  by  that  fatal  disease,  dysentery ;  and  they 
were  buried  in  one  grave.  This  was  an  uncommon  and 
mournful  circumstance  ;  much  sympathy  was  manifested  for 
the  afflicted  family,  and  a  numerous  and  mixed  congregation 
assembled  on  the  occasion.  I  had  never  before  been  called 
to  deliver  a  funeral  discourse,  and  I  felt  some  degree  of  em- 
barrassment, as  well  as  great  sensibility  for  the  afflicted  fam- 
ily. I  have  always  been  much  subject  to  the  influence  of 
sympathy  on  such  occasions,  and  frequently  found  it  difficult 
to  so  control  my  feelings  as  to  allow  me  utterance.  But  I 
devoutly  prayed  for  strength,  and  received  it.  I  read  for  a 
text.  Rev.  21  :  4.  Good  attention  was  given  to  the  discourse 
of  the  stripling ;  and  I  had  reason  to  believe  that  the  result 
was  favorable  to  the  cause  of  divine  truth.  I  had  several 
other  calls  to  attend  and  officiate  at  funerals,  during  the  sum- 
mer, in  that  and  the  neighboring  towns. 

My  school  was  large,  and  a  majority  of  the  district  were 
Methodists.  1  boarded  around  among  them,  united  in  their 
family  worship,  and  soon  cultivated  a  social  and  friendly  inter- 
course,  and  received  numerous  expressions  of  Christian  char- 
ity, although  they  considered  me  in  great  error  in  doctrine. 
There  was  a  society,  or  class,  as  they  called  it,  organized  in 
the  place,  and  they  had  regular  circuit  preaching  on  Wednes- 
day, each  week,  at  four  o'clock,  P.M.;  and  I  uniformly  so 
arranged  my  school  as  to  dismiss  it  early  enough  to  attend  ; 
and  was  generally  introduced  to  the  preacher,  and  in  most  ca- 

F 


82  MEMOIRS   OF    TffE 

ses  treated  with  civility.  There  were  several  different  preach- 
ers on  the  circuit,  during  my  residence  there,  and  among 
them  one  who  was  an  exception  to  the  gentlemanly  character 
they  generally  manifested.  His  name  was  Mitchell ;  and  he 
was  as  coarse-featured,  thin-faced,  and  raw-boned,  as  one  of 
Pharaoh's  lean  kine  ;  rather  below  the  medium  stature,  a  little 
round-shouldered,  and  wore  a  very  short  and  narrow  calico 
loose-gown.  He  appeared  as  though  he  had  almost  hallooed 
and  hooted  his  life  away.  I  did  not  reach  the  place  of  his 
meeting  until  services  had  commenced.  They  uniformly 
held  their  meetings  in  a  room  of  a  private  house.  As  I  entered 
the  room,  a  Methodist  friend  arose  and  placed  a  chair  for  me 
in  front  of  the  speaker,  and  within  six  or  eight  feet  of  him. 
He  was  reading  a  hymn  when  I  entered.  After  ..they  had 
sung,  he  kneeled  down  and  delivered  something  which  I  sup- 
pose he  would  have  called  a  prayer ;  but  it  was  rather  a  tis- 
sue of  execrations  upon  the  heads  of  such  as  had  the  temerity 
to  think  and  believe  differently  from  his  divinityship.  He 
arose  and  sang  again,  and  then  named,  for  a  text,  1  Pet.  4:18. 
"And  if  the  righteous  scarcely  be  saved,  where  shall  the  un- 
godly and  the  sinner  appear  ?"  He  remarked,  that  he  should, 
in  the  first  place,  show  who  the  righteous  were,  and  how  diffi- 
cult it  would  be  for  even  them  to  be  saved  ;  secondly,  describe 
the  sinner,  and  the  ungodly,  and  show  where  they  would  ap- 
pear.  He  proceeded  ;  and,  to  be  brief,  undertook  to  prove 
that  none  were  righteous  but  those  who  believed  and  acted 
like  himself;  in  a  word,  that  none  were  righteous  but  Method- 
ists ;  and  it  would  be  with  the  utmost  difficulty  that  any,  even 
of  them,  could  get  to  heaven.  During  his  discourse,  he  paid 
great  attention  to  me.  I  had  not  been  introduced  to  him;  but 
it  was  evident  he  knew  who  I  was — some  of  his  friends,  no 
doubt,  had  described  me  to  him;  for,  repeatedly,  when  he 
had  quoted  a  passage  of  Scripture,  he  would  look  earnestly 
at  me,  and  even  point  at  me,  and  say,  "  Don't  you  remember 
it?"  I  was  on  the  point  of  answering  him  vocally;  but  I 
very  well  knew,  although  his  impudence  deserved  it,  that  if 
I  did  so,  it  would  be  represented  that  I  went  there  to  make 
disturbance  in  their  meetings,  notwithstanding  I  uniformly  at- 
tended, and  had  had  no  occasion  to  behave  disorderly  before. 
For  I  felt  interested  in  all  religious  meetings,  and  wished  to 
hear  different  opinions  advanced  with  all  the  force  of  argu, 
ment  they  could  claim  ;  for  I  had  no  fears  that  truth  would 
suffer  by  investigation.      Truth  was  what  I  wanted;  and, 


LIFE  OF  REV.  NATHANIEL  STACY.  83 

to  obtain  it,  I  felt  a  desire  to  "  Prove  all  things,  and  hold  fast 
that  which  is  good."     And  1  felt  no  more  inclination  to  disturb 
the  meetings  of  others,  nor  infringe  on  their  privileges,  than 
those  of  my  own  order.     But  he  would,  without  turning  his 
eyes  from  me,  repeat  the  question,  "  Don't  you  remember  it  ?" 
and  continued  to  repeat  it,  until  I  gave  him  a  token,  either  by 
an  inclination,  or  a  shake  of  the  head,  that  I  did,  or  did  not, 
as  the  case  might  be.     After  he  had  finally  settled  the  destiny 
of  his  righteous,  he  began  with  sinners  and  the  ungodly.    Sin- 
ners, meant  the  ordinary  sinners  among  mankind ;  but  the 
ungodly  were  false  teachers — those  who  were  propagating  false 
doctrines,  and  leading  souls  blindfold  down  to  hell  !  And  then, 
leaning  forward  so  as  to  almost  thrust  his  finger  in  my  face, 
and  raising  his  voice  almost  to  a  scream,  he  exclaimed,  "  If  the 
righteous  are  scarcely  saved,  where  do  you  expect  to  appear  ?" 
I  now  had  to  exert  my  patience  and  fortitude  to  the  utmost, 
to  keep  my  seat.     I  could  not  answer  this  question  by  a  mo- 
tion of  the  head,  as  before  ;  but  I  resolved  still  to  give  no  oc- 
casion for  censure  by  disturbing  the  meeting,  and  therefore 
kept  my  seat.     But  to  show  him  my  perfect  contempt  of  such 
unchristian,  ungentlemanly,  and  insolent  treatment,  I  smiled, 
disdainfully,  in  his  face.     His  face  instantly  reddened  with  pas- 
sion— his  eyes  seemed  to  flash  fire  !   he  leaped,  it  appeared  to 
me,  three  feet  from  the  floor,  and  smiting  his  fist  on  the  Bible, 
his  eyes  steadfastly  fixed  on  me,  and  mine  on  him  with  the 
same  contemptuous  smilc-he  exclaimed,with  a  voice  like  thun- 
der, "  I'll  tell  you  where  you'll  appear — you'll  appear  in  hell, 
with  the-  liquid  streams  of  fire  and  brimstone  pouring  down 
your  throat,  to  all  eternity  !"     Although  I  kept  my  seat,  yet  1 
said  within  myself.  You  and  I,  sir,  will  have  a  reconsideration 
and  review  of  this  matter,  after  meeting.     When  he  closed, 
however,  he  made  no  pause  between  Amen  and  ordering  all 
to  leave  the  room  without  delay,  but  Methodists,  in  order  to 
hold  a  class-meeting.     I  have  often  had  the  opportunity  of 
witnessing  the  advantage  which  illiterate,  low,  vulgar,  and 
abusive  Methodist  preachers  take  of  their  class-meeting  ar- 
rangement, to  escape  rebuke  for  their  insolent  conduct.     But 
although  I  implicitly  obeyed  the  order  of  his  ghostly  highness, 
I  resolved  to  wait  the  close  of  class-meeting,  for  an  introduc- 
tion to  him  ;  and  did  wait  until  long  after  dark  ;  but  fearing, 
if  I  did  not  go  home,  he  would  keep  the  poor  Methodists  all 
night,  I  concluded  to  retire.     However,  though  I  felt  disap- 
pointed at  the  time,  it  was  probably  quite  as  well  in  the  result ; 


84  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

{or  his  own  brethren  took  liim  in  hand,  and  rebuked  him 
sharply  for  his  unchristian  and  uncivil  conduct.  And  it  proved, 
as  such  vile  and  malignant  opposition  always  does  prove,  for 
the  advancement  of  the  cause  they  designed  to  overthrow. 
The  effect  was  altogether  to  my  advantage  ;  for  a  respectable 
portion  of  the  Methodists  seemed  to  double  their  exertions  to 
make  me  feel  their  charity  and  kindness,  afterward. 
•  I  held  meetings  regularly  once  a  month,  in  the  house  where 
1  taught  school ;  and  soon  after  I  commenced  my  labors  there, 
I  gave  appointments  in  other  parts  of  the  town  of  Salisbury, 
and  in  the  adjacent  town  of  Middleborough.  In  the  fore  part 
of  July,  I  received  a  request  to  preach  in  the  town  of  Benson, 
about  twenty  miles  distant,  and  I  made  an  appointment  accord- 
ingly. Here  I  found  a  number  of  Universalists,  and  among 
them  some  of  my  old  friends  from  Dana,  Massachusetts.  My 
meetings  were  well  attended  ;  and  I  continued  to  preach  there 
as  often  as  once  in  two  weeks,  during  the  time  of  my  engage- 
ment in  Salisbury.  I  rode  there  on  Saturday  afternoon,  and 
back  on  Sunday  evening,  or  started  early  enough  on  Monday 
morning  to  reach  home  in  season  to  begin  my  school.  The 
cause  here  was,  at  least,  sufficiently  prosperous-  to  excite  the 
fears  of  its  enemies,  and  I  had  frequent  and  wami  controver- 
sies with  opposers,  in  almost  every  imaginable  form ;  one  of 
which  is  certainly  worth  recording.  I  was  preaching  in  a 
])arn — curiosity,  if  nothing  more,  had  drawn  together  a  vast 
congregation,  for  that  country — the  barn  was  literally  filled, 
every  part  of  it.  They  had  erected  a  little  staging  for  me,  on 
one  end  of  the  floor,  on  which  I  stood,  and  was  laboring  with 
all  my  might  to  prove  that  God,  our  heavenly  Father,  would 
have  all  men  to  be  saved,  and  come  unto  the  knowledge  of  the 
truth,  when  a  man,  past  the  meridian  of  life,  who  was  seated 
nearly  in  the  centre  of  the  floor  before  me,  looked  up  at  me, 
and,  in  a  voice  sufficiently  audible  to  be  heard  by  the  whole 
congregation,  said,  "  Have  I  not  chosen  you  twelve  ;  and  one 
of  you  is  a  devil  ]"  Had  any  one  told  me  beforehand,  that  I 
should  meet  with  such  an  interruption,  it  would  doubtless  have 
embarrassed  me — probably  completely  unmanned  me ;  for  I 
had  not  yet  been  able  to  overcome  my  embarrassing  diffidence  ; 
nor  have  I  yet,  completely,  after  almost  half  a  century's  ex- 
perience. But  I  was  astonished  at  myself,  on  reviewing  the 
scene — for  instead  of  embarrassing,  it  at  once  inspired  a  de- 
gree of  boldness  I  had  never  before  experienced — I  felt  as 
strong  as  Sampson.     I   stopped,  looked  at  the  man,  and  said, 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  85 

«  I  thank  you,  sir,  for  reminding  me  of  that  objection  •  it  mi^ht 
have  slipped  my  memory  ;  and  I  wish  to  remove  all  possible 
objections,  real  or  imaginary,  which  can    be  brought  to  the 
doctrine  of  God's  Universal  Grace."     The  man  appeared  con- 
lomided  and  ashamed;  and  replied,  "I  ask  pardon,  sir— I'm 
sorry  I  spoke  and  interrupted  you— have  the  goodness  to  pay 
no  attention  to  it,  but  go  on  with  your  discourse."     "  No,"  I 
said,  '_'  I  will  take  the  liberty  to  break  off  Aere,  and  answer  the 
abjection,  lest  it  should  be  forgotten,  and  then  resume  my  dis- 
course."    The  man  seemed  really  in  trouble,  and  again  asked 
pardon,  and  requested  me  to  proceed  with  my  discourse.     I 
replied,  "  you  have  done  no  one  any  injury,  sir,  by  your'  in- 
terruption, but  rather  conferred  a  favor— I'll  answer  the  ob- 
jection  now."     I  then  took  up  the  case  of  Judas,  and  labored 
on  It  probably,  twenty  or  thirty  minutes;  and  then  resumed 
my  discourse  where  I  left  it,  and  finished  it  much  to  my  own 
satisfaction.     I  never  had  before  experienced  so  much  liberty 
ot  speech.     As  soon  as  I  dismissed  the  congregation,  the  man 
arose,  and  requested  the  people  to  wait  a  moment,  and  indulge 
him.  in  the  privilege  of  speaking.     He  addressed  himself  to 
me,  and  said,  "I  feel  ashamed  of  my  conduct— I  have  viola- 
ted  the  laws  of  the  land,  and  the  rules  of  .  ivility— and  feel 
under  obligation  to  make  this  confession,  and  to   humbly  ask 
your  pardon,  and  the  forgiveness  of  this  congregation.-    But," 
continued  he,  "  I  have  been   highly  ^rratified  and  instructed, 
by  your  explanation  of  that  passage— I  feel  satisfied  with  it; 
and  now,  if  you  will  have  the  goodness  to  give  your  views  on 
another  passage,  and  the  peopte  will  consent  to  stay  and  hear, 
1  shall  be  very  much  obliged  ;"  and  he  named  the  parable  of 
me  Rich  man  and  Lazarus.     The  congregation  instantly  re- 
sumed their  seats  ;  and  I  arose  and  spoke  to  them  another  half 
hour  01-  more.     The  man  then  arose,  thanked  me  and  the  con- 
gregatJon,  and  requested  me  to  go  home  with  him ;  and,  from 
that  time,  as  long  as  I  remained  in  that  country,  he  was  one 
ot  my  hearers,  and  most  devoted  friends.     He  was  a  Baptist, 
and  came  to  my  meeting,  fired  with  a  mad  sectarian  zeal,  re- 
solved,  no  doubt,  to  put  a  stop  to  the  spread  of  this  soul-destroy- 
ing  heresy,  as  he  honestly  esteemed  it,  but  was  slain   by  his 
own  sword.     This  resulted  highly  favorable  to  the  cause  of 
divine  truth  in  that  place. 

^  In  the  course  of  the  summer,  I  had  the  satisfaction  of  plant- 
mg  the  doctrine  in  several  places,  where  it  had  never  before 
oeen  proclaimed ;  and  of  witnessing  the  awakening  of  a  spirit 


96  MEMOIRS 

of  inquiry  among  the  people,  to  a  considerable  extent.  I  pro- 
cured all  the  assistance  possible ;  made  one  exchange  with 
Mr.  Rich,  of  New  Haven  ;  and,  in  the  course  of  the  summer, 
Mr.  James  Foster,  a  little  my  senior  both  in  years  and  in 
ministerial  labors,  made  me  a  visit,  and  delivered  several  dis- 
courses among  us.  And  before  I  left  the  place,  I  was  instru- 
mental in  engaging  Mr.  Ballou  to  make  one  tour  and  preach, 
in  all  the  places  I  had  visited,  with  some  additional  places. 
The  doctrine  was  new  in  that,  and,  indeed,  almost  every  other 
part  of  the  country,  and  strange  as  well  as  new,  especially  to 
people  educated  strictly  in  the  doctrines  of  the  Westminster 
Catechism ;  and  it  required  a  vast  amount  of  patient  and  per- 
severing labor  to  uproot  the  strong  prejudices  of  education, 
and  free  the  mind  from  the  manacles  of  human  creeds ;  and 
to  give  it  courage  to  think  for  itself.  The  doctrine,  too,  ad- 
dressed itself  not,  like  Methodism,  to  the  animal  passions,  but 
to  the  rational  understanding ;  and  hance  could  only  reach 
the  heart  and  reform  the  character,  through  the  understanding. 
It  could  not,  therefore,  like  the  terrifying  and  fear-exciting 
doctrines  of  divine  wrath  and  endless  woe,  make  those  rapid 
and  all-sweeping  strides,  which  Methodism  was  then  making, 
in  many  places ;  but  its  progress,  though  gradual,  was  per- 
manent  and  sure.  And  so  much,  at  least,  was  effected  in  that 
region  of  country,  as  to  create  a  strong  desire  for  the  contin- 
uance of  preaching  among  them  ;  and  when  my  labors  closed, 
they  urged  me,  very  strenuously,  to  return  and  take  up  my 
abode  among  them. 


CHAPTER  V. 


Author  starts  for  Association — Falls  in  company  with  Mr.  Kneeland — Mr. 
Kneeland's  and  Mr.  Ballou's  genius  contrasted — Mr.  Kneeland's  course, 
anecdotes  concerning  him — The  convention — Preachers'  names — Mr. 
Winchester's  tomb-stone — Number  received  into  fellowship— Letter  of 
fellowship — Noah  Murray — Samuel  Smith— Confession  .of  Faith — Visits 
his  native  place — Tour  to  Vt. — Return  to  Mass. — Teaches  school — Tour  to 
Vermont — Preaches  for  Rev.  Thos.  Fessenden — Congregationalist  minis- 
ters in  Walpole,  Surrey,  Alstead,  and  Charlestown,  UniversaUsts — Suffer- 
ings in  body  and  mind,  on  return  journey,  from  Benson,  Vt.,  to  Williams- 
burgh,  Mass. — Itinerating  in  Mass. — Singular  introduction  at  Oxford — 
General  Convention,  1804 — Mr.  John  Murray — Mr.  Palmer — Modifica- 
tion of  the  name  of  the  Convention — Engagement  to  teach  school  in 
Worcester,  Mass. — Uliberality  of  a  clergyman — Success  in  school — 
Singular  influence  of  educational  habit. 

Having  finished  my  school,  early  in  September,  and  settled 
with  the  trustees  of  the  district,  I  crossed  the  Green  Moun- 
tains, on  my  way  to  the  Association,  or  Convention,  as  it  was 
called,  (now  changed  to  the  General  Convention  of  the  Uni* 
ted  States,)  which  met  that  year  in  Winchester,  N.  H.  On 
my  way,  I  delivered  discourses  in  Rochester  and  Bridgewa- 
ter ;  and  in  Barnard,  joined  company  with  Mr.  Ballou,  and 
delegates  from  the  societies  to  which  he  ministered.  Mr. 
Ballou  and  lady,  with  several  others,  rode  together  in  a  car- 
riage ;  Mr.  Dean,  a  young  man  then  preparing  for  the  minis- 
try, and  a  delegate  from  the  society  in  Barnard,  and  myself, 
were  on  horseback.  Mr.  Ballou  had  previously  sent  an  ap- 
pointment for  an  evening  lecture,  at  the  house  of  a  Mr.  Bur- 
roughs in  the  town  of  Surrey  ;  and  when  we  arrived  at  Bel- 
lows' Falls,  in  Walpole,  the  company  with  whom  Mr.  B. 
traveled  were  unwilling  to  t^ke  the  road  by  Burroughs'  on 
account  of  its  roughness  ;  he,  therefore,  requested  me  to  go 
that  way  and  supply  his  place.  I  told  him  I  would  willing- 
ly go  that  way,  and  inform  the  people  that  he  would  not  be 


88  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

there,  and  excuse  him  as  well  as  I  could  ;  but  I  could  not  sup- 
ply his  place,  nor   would  I  promise  to  try  to  preach.     The 
people  would  be  sadly  disappointed  ;  and  no  one  living  could 
fill  his  place,  in  their  estimation,  and  it   would  be  but  mock- 
ery for  me  to  try.     However,  go  the  other  way  they  would  ; 
and  Mr.-  Dean  and  myself  went   to  Burroughs',  Avhere   we 
found  a   numerous  congregation    awaiting.     When   we   in- 
formed them  that  Mr.  Ballou  would  not  be  there,  they  mani- 
fested so  much  disappointment,  and  even  dissatisfaction,  (as  I 
expected  they  would,)  that  I  could  not  have  preached,  had  no 
other  preacher  been  present.     But  as  good  Providence  would 
have  it,  jMr.  Farwell,  one  of  the  oldest  preachers  in  our  con- 
nection, and  Mr.  Kneeland,  were  already  on  the  ground  ;  and 
Mr.  Kneeland    consented  to  deliver  a  discourse — and  he  did 
deliver  one,  the  least  interesting  and  instructive  that  [  ever 
heard  from  a  Universalist  minister.     He  repeated  a  text,  but 
could  not  tell  the  people  where  to  find  it,  not  having  furnished 
himself  with  a  Bible  ;  but  his  discourse  and  his  text  were  ut- 
ter strangers  to  each  other,  and  never  were  so  happy  as  to 
have  an  introduction.     The  reader  may  be  curious  to  know, 
whether  this  was  the   celebrated  Abner  Kneeland,  author  of 
the  Greek  and  English  testament,  and  who  afterwards  figured 
so  conspicuously  as  an  Atheistical  lecturer,  and  editor  of  an 
Infidel  periodical  ?     Yes,  the  identical  personage.     But  Mr. 
Kneeland  was  then  young  in  the  ministry,  having  attempted 
to  preach  the  doctrine  of  Universal   Salvation  but  very  few 
times.     He  had  belonged  to  the  Baptist  connection,  and  had 
publicly  improved  in  that  church  for  a  season ;  but,  I  think, 
had  never  been  regularly  initiated  into  the  ministry,  according 
to  the  rules  of  their  discipline.     He  then  barely  possessed  a 
respectable  English  education,  and  had  very   limited  under- 
standing of  the  doctrine  he  wished  to  inculcate.     Mr.   Knee- 
land was  a  very  singular  man,  for  a  great  man.     He  was 
naturally  a  scholar,  and  made  rapid  advance  in  every  science 
he  attempted  to  study.     After    he  became    regularly  estab- 
lished in  the  faith  and  ministry  of  our  order,  he  entered  up- 
on the  study  of  the  languages,  and  obtained,  very  soon,  a  good 
knowledge  of  the  Latin,  Greek,  and  Hebrew,  without  any  as- 
sistance, I  believe,   except  what  he  obtained  solely  from  his 
authors  ;  and  I    have  been  informed,  no  doubt  correctly,  that 
he  obtained  a  knowledge  of  several  other  languages.     But 
he  never  possessed  the  faculty  of  original  thought — he  never 
originated  a  single  idea  ;  it  was  all   borrowed  ;  and  he  was 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  89 

generally  the  echo  of  the  last  author  he  read.  In  this  re- 
spect he  was  exactly  the  reverse  of  Mr.  Ballou.  Mr.  Ballou 
was  perfectly  an  original  genius — he  never  borrowed  any 
thing,  not  a  single  idea,  from  any  man,  or  any  author,  save 
the  inspired  word.  His  theory  was  his  own  ;  such  as  he  had 
formed,  independently  of  any  man,  or  any  church,  by  a  care- 
ful and  feithful  study  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures. 

At  the  time  I  have  been  speaking  of,  Mr.  Kneeland  had 
formed  no  acquaintance  with  Universalist  preachers  ;  he  had 
probably  never  heard  three  discourses  on  the  doctrine  ;  and 
it  appears  to  me,  that  he  said  he  had  never  heard  a  preacher 
of  our  order.  But  he  had  read  Mr.  Winchester's  writings, 
and  became  a  convert  to  his  theory  of  Universalism.  He 
was  a  perfect  Winchesterian.  Whatever  Mr.  Winchester 
had  published,  that  Mr.  K.  believed  in,  that  he  preached  ; 
and  he  could  illustrate  and  defend  that,  and  nothing  else.  He 
had  a  great  itching  for  authorship  too.  He  had  previously 
published  a  definition  spelling-book  ;  though  I  believe  it 
never  got  into  very  extensive  use  ;  and  he  was  even  now 
collecting  scattered  fragments  of  Mr.  Winchester's  writings, 
most  of  which  had  been  published  in  a  periodical  in  Phila- 
delphia, many  years  before,  and  compiling  them  into  a  book 
which  he  afterwards  published,  under  the  title  of  the  Colum- 
hian  Miscellavi/. 

Mr.  Kneeland  was  now  on  his  way  to  the  General  Conven- 
tion of  Universalists,  with  a  design  to  unite  with  them  ;  and 
he  did  so.  Here  he  became  acquainted  with  Mr.  Ballou, 
heard  him  preach,  and  had  conversation  with  him  ;  and  it 
was  not  six  months  from  this  time  before  he  renounced  Win- 
chesterianism  and  became  a  complete  Ballouite  ;  and  preached 
Mr.  Ballou's  theory  with  as  much  zeal  as  he  ever  did  Mr. 
Winchester's,  with  vastly  more  eloquence  and  soundness  of  ar- 
gument. He  continued  in  this  faith  until  he  left  the  ministry, 
went  into  the  mercantile  business,  broke  down,  resumed  his 
sacerdotal  functions,  and  settled  as  pastor  of  the  society  in  New 
Hartford,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.  There  he  was  so  unfortu- 
nate as  to  fall  in  with  Dr.  Joseph  Priestly's  writings  on  Ma- 
terialism. This  was  something  new  to  Mr.  K.,  and  he  de- 
voured it  at  once,  and  became  a  most  zealous  Materialist. 
He  preached  it  with  all  his  eloquence  ;  and  defended  it  by 
all  the  arguments  he  was  master  of,  both  in  private  and  in 
public  ;  and  he  continued  to  do  so,  to  the  great  disadvantage 
of  the  cause  of  divine  truth,  in  that  region,  until  he  removed 


90  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

to  Philadelphia.  He  remained  in  New  Hartford  not  quite  a' 
year,  I  think,  before  he  received  a  call  from  Philadelphia, 
Thither  he  removed  ;  and  there  he  resumed  the  publication 
of  his  beloved  theory  of  Materialism,  both  in  the  desk,  and 
tlirough  the  medium  of  a  periodical  which  he  there  cstab- 
lislied.  While  Mr.  Kneeland  resided  in  Philadelphia^  ("for  he 
remained  there  several  years,)  the  celebrated  Robert  Owen 
visited  tliat  city,  and  lectured  on  his  theory  of  social  commu- 
nity. Mr.  K.  attended  his  lectures,  became  personally  ac- 
quainted with  him,  and  a  convert  to  his  system  of  social  com- 
munity ;  and,  no  doubt,  became  tinctured  with  his  Atheisti- 
cal sentiments ;  for  shortly  after  fchat,  Mr.  K's  hearers  began, 
from  the  tenor  of  his  discourse  and  some  particular  expres- 
sions he  made  use  of,  to  distrust  his  fidelity  to  the  Christian  re- 
ligion. And  after  he  removed  to  the  city  of  New  York,  be- 
fore he  finally  abjured  all  religion,  he  was  once  or  twice 
called  to  account  by  some  of  his  parishioners,  for  his  scepti- 
cal remarks,  and  a  presentment  was  once  made  to  the  Asso- 
ciation. 

Mr.  Kneeland  was  also  a  visionary  man.  In  the  summer 
of  1826,  before  Mr.  K.  renounced  religion,  and  while  he  was 
yet  officiating  as  pastor  of  a  church  in  New  York,  I  visited 
him  ;  and  he  was  then  actually  engaged,  with  several  others 
he  had  induced  to  join  in  the  enterprise,  in  planting  a  commu- 
nity upon  the  Owen  plan,  some  forty  miles  up  the  North  Ri- 
ver. And  this  was  not  the  most  impracticable  nor  ridiculous 
project  he  was  engaged  in.  He,  with  a  number  of  others, 
had  formed  a  company  to  raise  money,  and  other  treasures, 
from  the  bottom  of  the  bay,  which  had  been  sunk  there  in  the 
time  of  the  revolutionary  war.  They  had  procured  a  diving- 
bell,  and  were  actually  engaged  in  the  business  ;  and  their 
operations  were  guided  by  a  little  girl,  about  twelve  years 
old,  who,  by  looking  into  a  tumbler  of  clear  water,  could  see 
tlie  treasures  in  the  bottom  of  the  ocean,  and  tell  them  exactly 
where  to  dive  for  them.  She  could  see  the  wreck  of  a  British 
ship,  which  lay  at  the  bottom  of  the  bay,  and  also  the  kegs  of 
gold  which  lay  among  the  rubbish  on  the  bottom  of  the  wreck. 
They  had  dived  several  times,  had  brought  up  some  pieces  of 
ordinance,  and  other  things,  but  had  not  yet  got  the  gold  ; 
they  however  should  have  it  soon.  And  this  was  not  all  :  she 
could  tell — indeed,  she  could  tell  almost  every  thing,  present, 
past,  or  future  !  and  see  things  at  a  vast  distance.  She  could 
see  a  boat  full   of  wedges  of  gold,  which  was  buried  in  the 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  91 

earth,  near  the  bank  of  the  North  River,  about  forty  miles 
above  New  York,  by  the  famous  Captain  Kidd,  in  the  time  of 
his  piracy  ;  and  the  river,  by  a  washing  away  of  the  bank,  in 
consequence  of  a  curve  in  that  place,  had  laid  one  end  of  the 
boat  bare — she  could  see  it,  perfectly  plain,  in  the  city  of 
New  York  !  And  Mr.  K.  actually  took  passage  in  the  boat 
with  me,  up  the  river,  ostensibly  for  the  purpose  of  visiting 
his  Owen  community,  but  really  to  find  that  boat  and  get  the 
gold.  He  had  the  little  girl  and  her  father  in  the  boat  with 
him,  and  pointed  them  out  to  me  ;  but  requested  me  not  to 
talk  with  them  ;  the  little  girl,  he  said,  was  bashful,  and, 
moreover,  their  expedition  was  a  secret — (he  told  it  to  me  in 
confidence.)  I  took  the  liberty  to  question  him  on  the  sub- 
ject— asked  him  if  it  were  not  possible,  and  even  probable, 
that  he  was  deceived  ?  That  they  were  practicing  an  impo- 
sition on  him  ?  No,  he  answered,  he  was  positively  sure 
tliat  she  was  honest — that  she  could  actually  tell  what  she  pre- 
tended to  tell — he  had  proved  her  to  his  full  satisfaction  ;  she 
had  told  many,  very  many  things  which  he  had  taken  pains 
to  trace  out  ;  and  she  had  described  them  accurately — to  the 
very  letter.  And  among  others,  she  had  minutely  described 
a  man  who  came  ten  or  twelve  miles  to  New  York — she  de- 
scribed his  dress,  and  the  color  of  the  horse  he  rode  ;  related 
when  he  started  from  home  ;  how  he  progressed  on  his  jour- 
ney, at  what  time  he  arrived  in  the  city,  and  where  he  might 
be  found  ;  and  he  (Mr.  K.)  went  himself,  and  saw  the  man, 
and  found  every  particular  circumstance  had  been  accurately 
described  by  her !  How  then  could  I  doubt  that  Mr.  K  was 
on  a  sure  track  to  wealth  and  fame  ?  I  did  doubt,  however, 
for,  from  some  cause,  I  am  very  incredulous  in  such  matters. 
But  Mr.  K.  congratulated  himself  gloriously,  on  his  auspicious 
prospects,  and  told  me  many  wonderful  things  he  designed  to 
do  for  the  cause  of  Universalism,  when  he  came  in  possession 
of  this  immeasurable  wealth.  When  I  parted  with  him,  in 
the  vicinity  of  his  boat-full  of  gold,  (it  was  the  last  time  I 
ever  saw  him,)  I  requested  him  to  write  and  let  me  know  how 
he  succeeded  with  his  enterprise.  He  promised  to  do  so.  A 
few  months  afterwards  I  received  a  letter  from  him  (the  last 
he  ever  wrote  me)  in  which  he  just  alluded  to  the  circum- 
stance,  and  said,  "but  we  shall  know  who  the  Governor  is, 
after  election."  However,  I  never  learned  "who  the  Gover- 
nor"  was.  Soon  after  this,  he  renounced  all  religion,  left  the 
connection,  and  broke  off  all  correspondence  with  us. 


92  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

At  the  convention  of  1803,  a  great  majority  of  the  preach- 
ers in  the  United  States  were  present ;  and  they  made  not  a 
very  formidable  procession,  even  then.     If  my  memory  is  not 
treacherous  in  tliis  particular,  and  I  think  it  is  not,  there  were 
but  twenty-one  preachers  in  the  whole  connection  previous  to 
that  meeting  ;  and  there  were  four  who  received  letters  of  fel- 
lowship at  that  time.    It  can  not,  I  apprehend,  be  uninteresting 
to  the  reader  to  see  the  names  of  those  veterans  in  the  Chris- 
tian warfare,  who  enlisted  at  this  early  period,  and  dared  to 
raise  the  standard  of  Universal  Grace  in  the  face  of  well 
disciplined  and  countless  hosts,  who,  in  mighty  phalanx,  were 
resolved,  by  all  the  means  within  their  power,  (for  their  maxim 
was,  the  end  justifies  the  means)  to  crush  every  innovation 
upon  their  theological  establishments  ; — the  names  of  those 
men  who  fearlessly  risked  their  reputation,  their  interest,  their* 
earthly  all,  (for  several  of  them  certainly  expended  a  hand- 
some  property  in  their  devotion  to  the  cause,)  without  the 
least  prospect  of  temporal  fee  or  reward — who  suffered  every 
hardship  and  privation,  that  human  nature  could  endure  and 
survive,  solely  for  the  love  they  bore  to  the  cause  of  Christ, 
the  cause  of  Universal  reconciliation  to  God,  -and  the  final 
beatitude  of  our  whole  race.     Such  names  should  ever  stand 
in  bold  relief,  upon  the  faithful  page  of  history ;  that  unborn 
ages,  as  they  rise  in  the  enjoyment  of  spiritual  freedom,  may 
be  taught  to  cherish,  in  grateful  remembrance,  the  instruments 
that  laid  the  foundation  of  the  inestimable  privileges,  they  are 
born  heirs  to.     Here  they  come — besure,  they  were  not  all 
equally  influential,  nor  equally  worthy  ;  but,  at  the  time  I  speak 
of,  they  were  all  enrolled  in  the  little  army  of  Universalists  ; 
and  most   of  them    have    received  their   discharge,  and  are 
gathered  home  to  enjoy  the  fruition  of  their  hope.     A  very 
few  remain  ;  but  their  gray  hairs  show  that  the  time  of  their 
service  is   nearly   expired  :    John    Murray,   Caleb  Rich, 
Thomas   Barnes,    Zebulon  Streeter,  Zephaniah  Lathe, 
William  Farwell,  David  Ballou,  Hosea  Ballou,  Jacob 
Young,    George    Richards,    Edward   Turner,    Solomon 
Glover,  Walter  Ferris,  Edwin  Ferris,  Ebenezer  Paine, 
Cornelius  G.  Person,  Joshua  Flagg,  Miles  T.  Wooley, 
James  Babbit,  Nathaniel  Smith,  James  Foster.      Adam 
Streeter,  and  Elhanan  Winchester,  died  previous  to  this 
meeting  ;  and  at  this  session  a  contribution  was  made  to  erect 
a  stone  at  the  grave    of  the  lamented  Winchester.     This,  to 
me,  was  a  season  of  unprecedented  felicity.     I  had  never  been 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  93 

enabled  to  attend  but  part  of  an  Association,  since  tbe  one  I 
have  before  mentioned,  in  Woodstock  ;  and  at  that  1  enjoyed 
the  satisfaction  of  hearing  only  one  discourse,  and  that  was 
from  Mr.  Barnes.     But  now  I  had  met  nearly  all  the  preach-^ 
ers  of  our  order  ;  and  I  should  have  the  unspeakable  happi- 
ness of  hearing  severa}  of  them  preach  !     My  feelings  were 
so  excited  in  anticipation,  that  I  could  scarcely  eat  or  sleep 
for  days,  and   even  weeks,  before  the  meeting.     And  when  I 
was  actually  permitted  to  meet  the  brethren,  face  to  face  ;  to 
feel  the  warmth  of  their  fraternal  hands— to  listen  to  the  gra- 
cious  words  that  fell  from  their  lips— to  hear  their  songs  of 
praise  and  thanksgiving,  and  to  mingle  with  them  in  the  joy- 
ful season  of  devotion,   as  one  of  their  number,  wag  indeed 
overwhelming  !     I  "  knew  not  whether  I  was  in  the  body,  or 
out  of  the  body  ;"  but  one  thing  I  did  know— that  I  was  in 
the  spirit!     What  rendered  the  season  more  exquisitely  de- 
lightful to  me,  probably,  was,  I  had  been  but  a  short  time  in 
the  ministry,  not  quite  a  year  ;  and  most  of  that  time  I  had 
spent  at  quite  a  distance  from  any  of  my  ministering  brethren, 
and  had  not  enjoyed  even  the  privilege  of  associating  with  but 
very  few  who  dared  to  name  the  name  of  Universalism  :  I 
had  been  exposed,  alone,  to  the  buffitings  of  opposers,  and  had 
to  meet  with  vastly  more  frowns  than  smiles,   and  with  more 
censures,  rebukes  and  curses,  than  with  tokens  of  kindness, 
or   words   of  encouragement.      This  rendered   the    meeting 
doubly  interesting  and  joyful,  as  well  as  all  other  meetings  of 
the  Association  for  years,  from  similar  causes.     I  looked  for- 
ward with  earnest  anticipations  for  the  time  to  arrive,  traveled 
with  tireless  steps  and  sleepless  eyes  to  the  appointed  place, 
and  remained  in  extacy   until  the  close  of  the  meeting  ;  but 
then*  alas,  the  time  of  trial  came!     I    had   to  part  with  the 
brethren,  and  go  off  alone  to  my  thankless  labor  ;  to  meet  the 
frowns  of  the  enemy  of  the  holy  cause,  the  curses  of  those  I 
loved,  and  the  fatigues  and  privations  unavoidable  to  my  call- 
ing.    I  have  wept  for  miles,  after  parting  with  the  brethren  ; 
and  felt  like  a  child  when  whipped  to  his  task,  by  a  father's 
rod. 

At  this  session  of  the  Convention,  four  brethren  ^received 
letters  of  fellowship,  viz.,  Noah  Murray,  Abner  Kneeland, 
Samuel  Smith,  and  Nathaniel  Stacy.  I  have  still,  in  a  good 
state  of  preservation,  my  letter  of  fellowship,  written  by  Geo. 
Richards,  and  signed  by  Zebulon  Streeter,  Moderator,  and 
Edward  Turner,  Clerk  ;  dated  Sept.,  1803.     Mr.  Murray  was 


94  MEMOIRS   OF    THE 

a  convert  from  the  Baptists,  with  whom  he  preached  a  number 
of  years;  but,  many  years  before  this,  he  had  renounced  the 
doctrine  of  Partialism,  and  had  been  proclaiming  the  doctrine 
.^f  Impartial  Grace;  but  never,  until  this  time,  had  met  and 
united  with  the  Association.  But,  at  this  session,  he  not  only 
received  a  letter  of  fellowship,  but  ordination  was  conferred 
upon  him ;  and  he  continued  faithfully  to  proclaim  the  glad 
tidings  of  free  grace  to  all  mankind,  until  he  closed  his  earthly 
pilgrimage.  His  residence  was  in  the  town  of  Athens,  Tioga 
Point,  Pa.  A  few  years  after  his  death,  I  visited  the  surviving 
members  of  his  family,  at  Athens,  among  whom  was  his  ven- 
erable widow,  who,  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  the  faith  and 
hope  which  sustained  him,  in  the  hour  of  his  departure,  was 
wailing  that  deliverance  which  she  has  long  since  experi- 
enced. 

Samuel  Smith  proved  an  unprofitable  member.  He  trav- 
eled about  in  many  places,  among  the  societies  and  brethren, 
attempting  to  preach,  but  wounding  the  cause  wherever  he 
went.  A  short  time  after  I  visited  the  State  of  New  York, 
Smith  came  into,  and  was  about,  that  country  two  or  three 
months.  I  saw  him,  I  believe,  but  once,  and  felt  little  incli- 
nation to  encourage  his  meetings.  From  thence  he  went  to 
Connecticut,  and  soon  after  made  shipwreck  of  his  faith,  (if 
he  ever  had  any,  which  to  me  was  very  questionable,)  at  an 
exciting  Methodist  meeting  ;  and  the  last  1  ever  heard  of  him 
Was  through  a  very  singular  letter  from  him,  addressed  to  a 
friend  in  New  Berlin,  Chenango  Co.,  New  York,  which  afford- 
ed abundant  evidence  that  he  never  entertained  any  correct 
views  of  the  doctrine  of  Universalism.  The  ultimate  course 
of  the  other  two,  the  world  has  already  learned,  or  will  soon 
be  apprised  of.  Such  were  the  four  who  received  the  fellow- 
ship of  the  Association,  in  1803.  Two  of  them  have  certainly 
paid  the  debt  of  nature  ;  and,  it  may  be  safely  presumed,  that 
only  one  of  them  remains  a  tenant  of  this  earthly  ball. 

There  was  a  measure  called  for,  at  this  time,  which,  in  its 
adoption  by  the  council,  produced  considerable  argument  in 
the  discussion,  and  no  little  sensation  among  the  brethren  ; 
which  was,  the  adoption  of  a  written  creed  or  confession  of 
faith.  It  became  absolutely  necessary,  to  save  Universalists 
in  New  England,  and  particularly  in  New  Hampshire,  from 
clerical  oppression.  In  those  days,  the  Presbyterians  and 
Congregationalists  were  denominated  the  Standing  Order  j 
and  they  had  a  legal  right  to  tax  every  inrUvidual  in  the  parish, 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  95 

for  the  support  of  the  clergy;  and  the  only  remedy  the  indi- 
vidual  had  to  avoid  paying  such  tax  to  them,  was  to  join  some 
other  sect,  and  bring  a  certificate  from  them  to  the  Standing 
Order,  that  he  had  joined  that  society,  and  actually  paid  taxes 
to  them.  This  had  been  done  in  one  or  more  cases,  in  the 
State  of  New  Hampshire  ;  but,  nevertheless,  the  Standing 
Order  proceeded  to  collect  the  tax.  Resistance  was  made, 
and  the  case  was  finally  carried  up  to  the  Supreme  Court, 
which  decided  that  there  was.no  such  order  known  asUniver- 
salists,  for  they  had  no  creed  or  profession  of  faith  to  distin- 
guish them  from  the  Standing  Order;  and  they  were,  conse- 
quently, compelled  to  pay  taxes  to  them.  Our  brethren  felt 
afraid  of  creeds.  They  had  read,  seen,  and  experienced,  as 
they  supposed,  the  distracting,  illiberal,  and  persecuting  efTects 
of  human  creeds  ;  and  they  wished  to  avoid  the  vortex  of  that 
whirlpool  into  which  they  had  seen  so  many  drawn  to  inevit- 
able  destruction.  The  Bible  was  a  sufficient  creed— it  was 
all  the  creed  they  wanted — -all  they  needed — it  was  sufficiently 
definite — and  each  one  had  an  equal  right  to  construe  it  for 
himself,  wliile  he  did  not  deny  its  inspiration  and  authority. 
They  felt  no  inclination  to  take  upon  themselves  a  "yoke, 
which  neither  they  nor  their  fathers  had  been  able  to  bear." 
They  had  so  far  lived  without  a  creed  ;  and  they  had  lived  in 
perfect  union.  Now,  they  very  much  feared,  should  they  go 
to  making  creeds,  they  would  become  divided,  and,  like  others 
who  had  oone  before  them,  begin  to  cherish  an  exclusive  and 
persecuting  spirit.  But  what  should  be  done?  They  sympa- 
tliized  deeply  with  the  persecuted  brethren  in  New  Hampshire; 
and  wished,  if  possible,  to  relieve  them.  A  committee  was 
appointed  the  previous  year  to  prepare  a  confession  of  faith, 
and  a  platform,  or  constitution;  of  which  Mr.  Walter  Ferris 
was  a  member ;  and  he  now  presented  one  so  unobjectionable, 
that  it  was  difficult  to  find  where  the  most  fastidious  could 
object  to  it,  or  how  it  could  lead  to  division.  A  motion 
was  made  to  adopt  it ;  and  probably  the  longest  and  warmest 
debate  ensued,  that  had  ever  been  known  in  that  deliberative 
body.  It  was,  however,  conducted  throughout  with  the  kind- 
est feelings,  but  with  much  earnestness  and  considerable  sen- 
sibility ;  tears  and  smiles  by  the  attentive  auditors,  alternately 
followed  the  pathetic  appeals  of  the  speakers  on  each  side. 
Among  its  warmest  advocates  were  George  Richards,  Hosea 
Ballou,  Walter  Ferris,  and  Zephaniah  Lathe  ;  and  among  its 
opposers,  Edward  Turner  and  Noah  Murray.     1  distinctly 


06  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

recollect  a  metaphor  in  one  of  Mr.  ^lurray's  arguments,  and 
Mr.  Lathe's  reply.  Mr.  Murray  said,  in  allusion  to  the  con- 
fession of  faith,  "  It  is  harmless  now — it  is  a  calf,  and  its  horns 
have  not  yet  made  their  appearance  ;  but  it  will  soon  grow 
older — its  horns  will  grow,  and  then  it  will  begin  to  hook.'' 
Mr.  Lathe  arose,  and  replied,  "  All  that  Br.  Murray  has  said 
would  be  correct,  had  he  not  made  a  mistake  in  the  animal. 
It  is  not  a  calf;  it  is  a  dove ;  and  who  ever  heard  of  a  dove 
having  horns,  at  any  age?"  But  the  confession  was  adopted 
without  alteration,  I  believe,  as  reported  by  the  committee, 
tlirough  Mr.  Ferris.  The  opposition  yielding,  it  passed,  (if 
my  memory  well  serves  me,)  by  the  unanimous  voice  of  the 
council,  with  a  resolution  appended  to  it  to  this  effect,  that 
no  alteration  should  ever  he-  made,  hereafter,  to  the  confession 
of  faith.  These  articles  have  been  published  repeatedly,  and 
are  contained  in  the  "  Modern  History  of  Universalism,"  by 
Mr.  Whittemore  ;  but  it  may  be  gratifying  to  my  readers,  not- 
withstanding, to  see  them  here  ;  and,  as  they  are  short,  I  feel 
disposed  to  satisfy  their  curiosity. 

"Article  I. -We  believe  in  one  God,  whose  nature  is  love, 
revealed  in  one  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  one  holy  spirit  of  grace  ; 
who  will  finally  restore  the  whole  human  family  to  holiness 
and  happiness. 

Ahticle  II. — We  believe  that  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old 
and  New  Testaments,  contain  a  revelation  of  the  character  of 
God,  of  the  duty,  interest,  and  final  destination  of  mankind. 

Article  III. — We  believe  that  holiness  and  true  happiness 
are  inseparably  connected  ;  and  that  believers  ought  to  be 
careful  to  maintain  order,  and  practice  good  works ;  for  these 
thinc^s  are  good  and  profitable  to  men." 

To  the  above  creed  no  one  could  reasonably  object,  who 
believed  in  the  final  restitution  of  man,  let  his  views  of  future 
retribution  be  wimt  they  might. 

At  the  close  of  the  meeting,  I  proceeded  to  Massachusetts, 
made  a  visit  of  a  few  weeks  in  my  native  town,  preached  a 
few  discourses,  among  which  were  two  on  funeral  occasions, 
in  families  of  my  early  and  most  intimate  associates  ;  and  then 
returned  to  Vermont,  where  I  tarried  about  one  month.  During 
tliis  tour,  I  supplied  the  desk  of  Mr.  Ballou,  in  Bethel,  one 
Sabbath ;  made  a  tour  with  him  as  far  as  Calais ;  preached  in 
the  towns  of  Rochester,  Randolph,  and  Bridgewater;  and  then 
returned  to  New  Salem,  where  I  had  engaged  to  teach  a  dis- 
trict school,  commencing  on  the  first  of  December.     On  mv 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  97 

way  from  Vermont  to  Massachusetts,  I  called  on  the  venera- 
ble father  in  Israel,  Zebulon  Streeter,  and  delivered  a  lecture 
in  his  dwellinjT-house,  to  a  respectable  congregation.  It  was 
with  some  difficulty  I  could  make  up  my  mind  to  address  a 
congregation  in  the  presence  of  an  old  veteran,  one  who,  I  was 
sensible,  could  discharge  the  duty  to  so  much  better  advantage 
to  the  cause  than  myself.  1  was  not  afraid  of  being  censured 
— I  shrank  not  from  his  criticism  ;  for  I  felt  grateful  for  every 
correction  of  a  defect  in  enunciation,  language,  gesture,  or 
any  inconsistency  in  doctrine  ;  but  I  .felt  that  a  waiting  con- 
gregation should  always  be  served  with  the  best  ability,  and 
the  soundest  and  most  cogent  arguments — I  wanted  good  to 
be  done,  and  the  greatest  possible  good ;  and  as  I  never  had 
a  very  exalted  opinion  of  my  own  talents,  I  felt  that  the 
congregation  were  sufferers  whenever  I  attempted  to  preach, 
while  others  of  greater  strength  and  more  experience  were 
present.  These  were,  and  invariably  have  been  my  feelings, 
up  to  the  present  time.  I  have  marveled  greatly,  many  times, 
when  I  have  heard  young  and  inexperienced  preachers  con- 
tending earnestly  about  their  right  to  preach  ;  and  sometimes 
with  tliose  of  vastly  greater  experience  than  themselves,  as 
though  they  had  a  right  to  be  heard — to  display  iheu'  s'plendid 
talents,  without  any  regard  to  the  feelings  of  the  congregation, 
01^  the  advancement  of  the  cause.  "Thinks  I  to  myself," 
their  ambition  is  very  different  from  mine.  But  my  venera- 
ble brother  Streeter  treated  me  with  great  tenderness  and  fa- 
therly affection,  gave  me  good  counsel,  and  encouraged  me  in 
my  resolution  to  persevere.  He  had  never  before  heard  me 
speak  publicly. 

During  this  winter,  (1803 — 4,)  I  taught  school  in  the  dis- 
trict where  I  first  went  to  school ;  and  quite  a  num.ber  of  my 
scholars,  (for  the  school  was  large,)  were  my  old  school-mates. 
But  my  school  was  a  good  one ;  and  the  winter  glided  plea- 
santly away.  My  Sundays  were  mostly  employed  in  preach- 
ing in  New  Salem,  and  the  adjacent  towns  of  Dana  and 
Hardwick.  I  did  not  lose  sight  of  the  holy  cause  in  which  I 
was  enofafjed  :  and  whatever  I  did — whatever  business  was 
necessary  for  me  to  engage  in,  or  labors  to  perform,  I  designed 
should  be  subservient  to  it. 

In  the  latter  part  of  April,  1804,  having  finished  my  peda- 
ffoo-ic  term,  I  started  an-ain  on  a  tour  throu2:h  Vermont  ; 
though  I  designed  to  tarry  but  a  short  time,  having  resolved 
to  spend  the  ensuing  summer  in  Massachusetts,  that  I  might 

G 


98  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

enjoy  the  privilege  of  associating  more  frequently  with  my 
older  brethren  in  the  ministry  ;  and,  therefore,  left  an  appoint- 
ment for  a  Sunday  in   the  town  of  Williamsburgh.     On  my 
way,  I  called,  as  usual,  on  m.y  friend  Burroughs,  in  Surry  ; 
and,  by  his  earnest  solicitation,  accepted  a  letter  of  introduc- 
tion from  him  to  Rev.  Thomas  Fessenden,  pastor  of  the  Con- 
gregational  Church  in  Walpole.     Mr.  Fessenden  had  long 
been  their  settled  minister,  and  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  the 
people  of  his  charge,  probably  to  as  great  an  extent  as  any 
clergyman  ever  did.     He  was  advanced  in  years,  and  a  few 
Sundays  previous  to  the  time  of  which  I  speak,  was  attacked 
with  a  paralytic  fit  in  his  desk ;  from  which  he  had  not  yet 
sufficiently    recovered  to  leave  his  room.     Mr.   Burroughs 
said,  they  had  had  lio  preaching  since  Mr.  Fessenden's  sick- 
ness ;  and  he  felt  confident  Mr.  F.  would  be  very  glad  to  have 
me  preach  in  his  desk  the  next  Sunday.     He  said  Mr.  F.  was 
a  Universalist,  or  a  Restorationist,  although  in  the  Congrega- 
tionalist  connection  ;  and  would  rather  have  his  desk  filled  by 
a  Universalist  than  a  preacher  of  any  other  denomination.     I 
was  diffident,  and  felt  quite  doubtful  as  to  the  reception  that  I 
should  meet  with,  but  reluctantly  took  the  letter  and  presented 
it  to  Mr.  F.    '  I  found  him  able  to  sit  up,  and  even  walk  about 
the  room,  but  could  only  speak  in  a  loud  whisper.     He    re- 
ceived me  cordially  and  politely,  and  inquired  if  I  was  in 
regular  standing  in  the  Universalist  connection.     Being  an- 
swerd(3  in  the  affirmative,  he  inquired,  whether  or  not  I  be- 
lieved in  the  utility  of  church  order  and  ordinances,  and  hav- 
ing received  the  assurance  that  I  did,  he  said  that  was  all  he 
required  ;  and  it  was  very  kind  in  Mr.  Burroughs  to  influence 
me  to  call  on  him  ;  his  people  had  been  destitute  of  preaching 
for  several  Sabbaths,  and  would  be  highly  gratified  in  having 
a  meeting  ;   and  he  would  immediately  take  measures  to  give 
general  notice.     This  was  on  Wednesday ;  and    Mr.  F.  or- 
dered my  horse  to  be  taken  care  of,  and  requested  me  to  make 
myself  at  liome  in  his  study,  during  the  week.     He  inquired, 
if  Iwasin  the  habit  of  writing  my  discourses.  1  answered,  I  had 
written  some,  but  not  generally.     I  v/as  in  the  habit  of  itinera* 
ting,  and  was  ill  convenienced  to  commit  much  to  writing.  He 
replied,  "  Well,  it  is  a  good  thing  to  be  able  to  extemporize  ; 
but  it  is  also  profitable  to  write  some.     You  have  now  time  to 
Write  one  discourse,  at  least,  and  T  would  advise  you  to  dose, 
I  am  in  the  habit  of  writing  generally ;  and  it  will  be  quite 
as  acceptable  to  the  people  you  will  preach  to,  next  Sunday, 


LIFE  OF  REV.  NATHANIEL  STACY.  99 

to  hear  you  read,  as  to  speak  extemporaneously."     I  promised 
to  write  one  discourse,  and,  accordingly,  I  did  write. 

Early  on  Sunday  morning,  Mr.  Fessenden  called  to  me  and 
asked,  "  Have  you  written  a  discourse  ?"  "  Yes,  sir,"  I  re- 
plied. "  Well,  get  it,  and  read  it  to  me,"  he  rejoined'.  "O, 
my  dear  sir,  do  excuse  me— »it  will  not  bear  criticism.  I  have 
not  had  the  advantages  of  an  education  ;  and  although  I  am 
willing,  and  even  desire  you  to  criticise  my  doctrine,  I  feel 
too  diffident  of  the  language  and  method  of  the  discourse,  to 
try  to  read  it  to  you — pray,  sir,  excuse  me,"  I  replied.  "No," 
said  he,  "  Mrs.  Fessenden  and  I  will  be  your  only  hearers. 
We  want  to  hear  a  sermon.  I  can  not  go  to  meeting ;  and 
she  must  stay  to  take  care  of  me.  The  most  learned  men 
are  not  always  the  most  useful  men.  Go,  get  the  sermon, 
and  read  it."  I  went,  and,  with  a  tremor  through  my  whole 
frame,  brought  the  manuscript;  and,  at  his  bidding,  took  a 
seat,  and  read  it  as  well  as  I  could.  When  I  closed,  the  first 
one  to  break  silence  was  Mrs.  Fessenden,  who  said,  "  There 
has  not  been  so  good  a  discourse  as  that  delivered  in  our  meet- 
ing-house, for  a  long  while."  This  brought  up  my  head ; 
I  had  not  before  dared  to  look  up.  "It  is  a  good  sermon,  and 
well  written,"  responded  Mr.  Fessenden.  This  was  worth  a 
ruby  to  me.  Mr.  F.  was  a  learned  man,  and  an  aged  minis- 
ter ;  and,  if  he  approved  of  the  discourse,  it  might  be  accept- 
able to  others,  and  be  the  means  of  doing  some  good.  It  in- 
spired  me  with  confidence,  and  I  went  to  the  church  with  in- 
creased fortitude.  I  had  never  before  entered  a  meeting-house, 
for  the  purpose  of  preaching  in  it,  since  my  first  attempt. 
My  sanctuaries  of  worship  had  been  private  dwellings,  school- 
houses,  barns,  and  the  grove — that  splendid  temple  made  by 
God's  own  hand ;  and  when  I  looked  around  upon  the  gath- 
ering congregation,  (the  house  was  large,  and  the  assembly 
numerous,)  I  might  have  quailed  under  the  stern  gaze  of  so 
many  prying  eyes,  had  not  the  encouraging  remark  of  Mr.  F., 
Who,  I  thought,  was  certainly  asgopd  a  judge  of  matter  and 
diction   as  any  of  them,  strengthened  and  supported  me. 

My  visit  at  Mr.  Fessenden's  was  both  agreeable  and  profit- 
able. I  found  him  and  his  lady  well  established  in  the  faith 
of  Universal  Restitution,  upon  Mr.  Winchester's  theory,  and 
fearless  advocates  of  the  doctrine.  Mr.  F.  told  me  he  had 
been  well  established,  himself,  for  i'lv;,ut  twelve  years;  that 
when  he  first  embraced  the  faith,  he  b  ;ri;an  to  modify  his  dis- 
courses in  conformity  to  it,  without  directly  naming  the  docr 


loo  MEMOIRS     OF    TEE 

trine  ;  and  progressed  and  enlarged  by  degrees,  until  he  was 
enabled  to  freely  and  fully  declare  his  doctrine  without  alarm- 
ing his  church,  or  losing  his  standing  as  pastor ;  and  now,  he 
said,  there  were  not  a  dozen  members  of  his  church,  (and  it 
was  large,)  who  believed  in  the  dogma  of  endless  misery.  It 
is  a  singular  fact,  that  about  the  same  time  that  Mr.  Fessenden 
came  into  the  fliith  of  the  Final  Restitution,  three  other  clergy, 
men,  of  three  adjacent  towns,  of  the  same  denomination,  em- 
braced the  same  faith :  Mr.  Howe,  of  Surry ;  Mr.  Mead,  of 
Alstead  ;  and  Mr.  Dan  Foster,  of  Charlestown.  And  they 
all,  except  Mr.  Mead,  so  managed  as  to  retain  their  standing 
in  the  Congregational  Association,  and  to  remain  in  the  pas- 
toral charge  of  their  respective  churches,  notwithstanding  they 
•earlessly  advocated  the  doctrine.  Mr.  Foster  also  published 
..».  Irea'ise  on  the  subject,  in  reply  to  Dr.  Strong,  of  Hartford, 
( "oDnecticut,  who  had  written  against  Dr.  Huntington's  posthu- 
mous work.  I  found  Mr.  Foster's  book  in  the  library  of  Mr. 
Fessenden ;  as  also  the  Avork  of  Dr.  Chauncy,  which  I  had 
never  before  seen.  Mr.  F.  was  not  able  to  talk  long  at  a  time ; 
though,  during  my  stay,  we  had  considerable  conversation, 
and  I  received  from  him  much  good  counsel.  My  visit  was 
rendered  much  more  agreeable  on  account  of  the  kindness  and 
maternal  attention  of  his  excellent  lady.  She  was  a  native  of 
the  same  town  as  m3-self ;  a  daughter  of  the  first  settled  min- 
ister in  New  Salem,  Rev.  Mr.  Kendall ;  and  was  well  ac- 
quainted with  my  parents.  She  manifestly  received  me  with 
the  affection  of  a  mother.  She  was  a  woman  of  more  than 
ordinary  talents,  and  rejoiced  heartily  in  the  faith  of  the  Great 
Salvation.  Several  times,  during  my  stay,  when  people  came 
in,  and  I  was  introduced  as  a  Universalist  preacher,  arguments 
on  doctrinal  subjects  were  introduced  ;  but  I  could  never  get 
an  opportunity  to  reply;  for  either  Mr.  F.  or  his  wife  would 
take  up  the  argument,  and  defend  the  doctrine  with  as  much 
zeal,  and  vastly  more  ability,  than  I  could  possibly  have  done. 
On  taking  leave  of  this-  excellent  family,  on  ]\Ionday  morn- 
ing, Mrs.  F.  presented  me  with  a  number  of  small  articles  of 
apparel,  such  as  cravats,  &c.;  and  they  very  affectionately 
invited  me  to  call  as  often  as  convenient,  with  the  assurance 
that  I  should  ever  be  welcome  to  their  hospitality,  and  every 
other  assistance  they  could  render  me.  But,  alas  !  it  was  the 
first  and  the  last  time  1  ever  enjoyed  the  pleasure  of  visitisig 
them ;  for  I  never  afterward  passed  through  that  country, 
until  the  fall  of  1843,  many — many  years  after  these  good 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  lOl 

people  were  numbered  with  the  great  congregation  of  the  dead. 
And  such  alterations  had  been  made,  by  the  hand  of  time  and 
the  hands  of  man,  in  that  region  of  their  habitation,  that  I  could 
not  certainly  recognize  the  locality  of  their  ancient  dwelling- 
place. 

One  object  of  this  tour  was  to  make  a  short  visit  to  Mr.  Ballou 
and  other  friends  in  Windsor  county,  as  well  as  to  fulfil  a  prom- 
ise my  friends  in  Addison  had  drawn  from  me  when  leaving 
them ;  I  had  also  made  some  appointments  in  that  county  by 
letter.  In  fulfilling  these  engagements,  I  preached  one  Sun- 
day in  Rochester  ;  lectured  in  Salisbury  and  Middleborough  ; 
preached  one  Sunday,  and  delivered  one  lecture,  in  Benson. 
On  Wednesday  morning,  I  was  more  than  one  hundred  miles 
from  Williamsburgh,  the  place  of  my  appointment  for  the  next 
Sunday  ;  and  I  was  an  entire  stranger  to  the  country  through 
which  I  must  travel.  I  had,  at  the  solicitation  of  friends,  par- 
ticularly in  Addison  county,  traveled  two  hundred  miles  to 
visit  them,  and  deliver  my  message.  They  had  manifested 
great  satisfaction  in  the  opportunity  of  hearing  me  preach,  had 
urged  me,  with  the  utmost  earnestness,  to  stay  longer ;  solicited 
me,  with  all  apparent  sincerity,  to  make  them  another  visit  as 
soon  as  possible  ;  thanked  me  times  without  number,  and  ex- 
pressed their  gratitude  in  the  warmest  terms  possible  ;  but, 
alas!  they  never  thought  to  inquire  how  I  was,  pecuniarily, 
prepared  to  meet  the  expenses  of  my  journey ;  nor  if  my  horse 
would  ever  need  a  shoe,  or  myself  a  change  of  apparel.  My 
ministerial  labors  had  ever  been  sparingly  rewarded  ;  aiid  it 
was  right,  no  doubt,  for  they  were  worth  but  little — I  so  con- 
'sidered  them  myself;  all  I  ever  had  received,  I  esteemed  as  a 
charitable  donation.  But  now  I  felt  the  need  of  something, 
more  than  I  ever  had  before.  My  earnings  in  school-teach- 
ing, the  previous  winter,  had  been  exhausted  in  the  payment 
of  some  small  debts  I  had  been  obliged  to  contract,  and  in 
furnishing  myself  with  a  few  articles  of  necessary  wearing 
apparel ;  and  the  few  shillings  I  had  started  on  my  journey 
with,  were  nearly  exhausted.  I  had  the  confidence  to  name 
to  them  my  destitute  condition,  but  not  one  of  them  put  a  cent 
into  my  hand.  1  never  was  exactly  like  the  unjust  steward, 
who  said,  "  Dig  I  can  not,  and  to  beg  I  am  ashamed."  I  was 
ever  ashamed  to  beg ;  but  I  could  dig,  with  good- will,  if  I  had 
opportunity.  But  now  I  had  no  chance  ;  it  would  require  the 
whole,  or  nearly  the  whole  time  between  this  and  the  next 
Sunday  to  reach  the  place  of  my  appointment.     What  was  to 


102  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

be  done  ?  I  felt  very  unwilling  to  cause  a  disappointment ; 
I  therefore  moved  forward,  though  with  rather  a  despairing 
heart,  at  first ;  but  soon  gathered  courage  and  strength  from 
the  reflection,  that  if  God  had  allotted  me  a  work  to  perform, 
he  would  either  provide  means  to  feed  me  on  the  way,  or  give 
me  strength  to  perform  the  journey  without  it.  It  required 
me  to  be  on  the  way  two  nights  ;  and  I  had  barely  change 
sufficient  in  my  pocket  to  pay  for  my  horse-keeping  and  my 
lodging,  and  furnish  me  with  a  single  meal.  And  with  this 
I  performed  the  journey,  without  making  my  condition  known 
to  any  person,  or  asking  the  charity  of  strangers.  On  the 
last  day,  long  after  every  cent  was  spent,  in  crossing  the 
Green  Mountains  from  Adams  through  Savoy  to  Williams- 
burgh,  I  felt  quite  exhausted,  and  thought  my  poor  beast  felt 
faint  and  weary  too ;  and,  on  looking  around  and  beholding 
the  abundance  that  rewarded  the  labors  of  the  industrious 
husbandman,  even  in  that  cold  and  mountainous  country,  I 
could  scarcely  refrain  from  repining  at  my  lot,  and  thinking 
that,  if  this  was  an  allotment  of  Providence,  it  was  a  severe 
one;  and,  for  a  moment,  a  fearful  despondency  seized  my 
soul  !  But  it  was  momentary  only ;  for,  on  looking  around, 
I  saw  a  good  fresh  turnip  by  the  wayside,  that  somebody  had 
dropped.  I  alighted,  picked  it  up,  and  proceeded  but  a  few 
rods,  when  I  came  to  a  spot  of  good  fresh  grass  by  the  way, 
I  here  let  my  horse  feed,  stretched  my  weary  limbs  on  na- 
ture's verdant  carpet,  and  ate  my  turnip.  I  then  arose  re- 
freshed, both  in  body  and  in  mind.  My  desponding  feelings 
had  entirely  left  me ;  and  a  holy  calmness,  an  unshaken  con- 
fidence  in  an  all-wise  and  bountiful  Providence,  with  a  con- 
scientious conviction  that  I  was  in  the  way  of  duty,  accompa- 
ied  and  cheered  me  to  the  end  of  my  journey.  I  arrived  at 
the  house  of  Mr.  Washburn,  father  of  Mrs.  Ballon,  some  time 
after  r>oon';  but  could  wait,  without  feeling  any  inconvenience, 
until  their  usual  tea-time  ;  and  then  ate  a  hearty  meal,  without 
experiencing  any  injury.  Several  times,  in  the  course  of  my 
journey,  I  was  on  the  point  of  inquiring  for  Universalists,  with 
a  design  to  make  my  condition  known.  But  1  was  so  young, 
or  looked  so  young — a  mere  beardless  boy — ^that  no  one  Avould 
readily  believe  I  was  a  preacher ;  and  I  thought  it  most  prob- 
able I  should  only  expose  myself  to  insult,  and  bring  a  stain 
on  the  cause  I  felt  so  zealous  to  support ;  and  I  would  rather 
starve  myself  than  do  either. 

The  next  Sunday,  I  delivered  my  message  to  a  respectable 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  163 

congregation  :  and  they  made  me  a  liberal  contribution  ;  so 
that  I  was  able  to  return  to  my  father's  house,  encouraged, 
and  in  comfortable  circumstances. 

The  ensuing  summer,  in  accordance  with  my  previous  de- 
sign, I  spent  in  Massachusetts.     I  had  one  regular  monthly 
appointment  in  the  town  of  Medway,  where    I  was  recom- 
mended by  Mr.   Turner ;  and  the  rest  of  the  time  was  em- 
ployed in  different  places,  by  appointments,  from  time  to  time, 
as  circumstances  called  for  them      I  supplied  Mr.  Turner's 
and  Mr.  Flagg's  places  occasionally,  during  their  absence  on 
journeys  or  to  other  societies.     A  rather  odd  and  amusing  in- 
cident, which  occurred  on  one  of  these  occasions,  I  will  brief- 
ly relate :    I    had    agreed  to  supply  for  Mr.  Flagg,  in  the 
town  of  Oxford,  one  Sunday ;  and  on  my  way  thither,  on  Sat- 
urday, was    overtaken    by  night,  some  six  or  seven    miles 
before  reaching  the  place.     There  was  no  public-house  be- 
fore reaching  the  village ;    and    I    had  no  acquaintance  in 
that  region  of  country.     There  was  no  alternative,  therefore, 
but  to  put  up  at  a  private  house,  among  strangers,  or  to  per- 
severe  until  I  reached  Oxford.     I  chose  the  latter,  and  press- 
ed  forward  as  fast  as  my  jaded  beast  could  carry  me.    When 
I  reached  the  village,  there  was  no  light  in  any  house  save  the 
tavern,   and  they  were  on  the  point  of  extinguishing  theirs. 
T  therefore  simply  called  for  entertainment,  and,  without  ma- 
king any  inquiry,  or  any  remark  in  reference  to  my  business, 
retired  to  rest.     On  Sunday  morning  I  arose — knew  no  one, 
and  was  unknown  to  all.     I  told  the  landlord  I  would  break- 
fast with  him.     Meantime  I  inquired  what  denomination  own- 
ed the  meeting-house,  which  stood  a  few   rods  from  the  tav- 
ern.     My  host   answerecl,  "  The  Universalists."     "  Do  they 
have  preaching  there  to-day  ?"  "  Yes."  "  Who  preaches  witit 
them?"  "Mr.  Flagg."      After  breakfast,  he  inquired  if  I 
would  have  my  horse.     I  replied,  that  I  thought  of  attending 
meeting  there 'that  day.      Nothing  more  was  said,  and  I  re- 
tired to  my  chamber,  adjusted  my  apparel,  and  prepared  for 
church.     Bye-and-bye  the  first  bell  rang,  and  soon  people  be- 
gan to  assemble ;  many   of  whom   appeared  to  have  come  a 
great  distance.     1  occasionally  walked  through  the  crowd,  to 
see  if  any   came  with  whom  I  was  acquainted,   and  to  hear 
what  was  said.     The  inquiry  was  repeatedly  made,  '•  Is  Mr. 
Flagg  come  ?"     "  Has  the  preacher  come  ?"     No  one  knew, 
but  thought  he  was  at  Capt.  Davis',  his  usual  stopping-place. 
Soon,  however,  word  came  from  Capt.  Davis  that  the  preach- 


104  :.rEMoiRS  of  the 

er  was  not  there  ;  and  they  began  seriously  to  fear  they  would 
be  disappointed  that  day.  jMuch  anxiety  was  manifested  ;  the 
day  was  pleasant  ;  and  a  numerous  congregation  were  as- 
sembling. They  had  preaching  but  once  a  week,  and  they 
very  much  deprecated  a  disappointment ;  however,  Mr.  Flagg 
might  have  stopped  somewhere,  and  thought  he  would  be  in 
season  yet.  Presently  the  second  bell  rang  ;  and  they  began 
walking  back  and  forth,  from  the  public-house  to  the  meeting- 
house. No  preacher  was  to  be  found,  and  they  were  quite  in 
despair  ;  I  could,  once  in  a  while,  see  some  one  look  quite 
earnestly  at  me  ;  but  nobody  addressed  me,  and  I  said  no- 
thing. As  the  bell  began  to  toll,  I  went  into  my  chamber,  put 
my  Bible  and  psalm-book  under  my  arm,  so  as  to  have  them 
in  fair  sight,  and  walked  deliberately  down,  and  through  the 
crowd,  and  directed  my  steps  toward  the  meeting-house.  As 
I  walked  through  the  room,  not  a  word  was  said  ;  but  all  eyes 
were  riveted  on  me,  in  apparent  astonishment,  and  without  a 
word  being  spoken,  in  my  hearing,  a  simultaneous  move  was 
made,  and  they  all  followed  me  to  the  church.  I  walked  into 
the  house,  made  my  bow  to  the  congregation  as  I  passed,  and 
ascended  the  pulpit.  When  I  turned  around,  if  I  ever  saw 
amazement,  wonder,  and  doubt,  depicted  upon  the  counte- 
nances of  an  assembly,  I  saw  it  then.  JMr.  F.  had  never 
told  them  of  the  proposed  change  ;  and  there  was,  at  that 
time,  not  a  soul  present  who  had  the  least  knowledge  of  me. 
The  house  was  immediately  filled,  and  I  arose  and  com- 
menced service  ;  while  profound  and  breathless  attention  pre- 
vailed. During  the  intermission,  I  was  surrounded  by  many, 
and  two  or  three  had  joined  the  congregation,  with  whom  1 
had  a  limited  acquaintance  :  and,  taking  it  altogether,  we  had 
a  happy,  and,  I  trust,  profitable  meeting.  The  singularity  of 
my  introduction  excited  attention,  and  had  rather  a  beneficial 
tendency.  At^  the  close  of  the  meeting,  Capt.  Davis,  the 
treasurer  of  the  society,  handed  me  five  dollars.  This,  at 
that  time,  v/as  the  regular  salary  of  our  Universalist  preach- 
ers,  in  those  old  societies  ;  and  as  much  a  lawful  tender,  for 
a  Sunday's  preaching,  as  was  six  cents  for  an  almanac.  In 
the  course  of  this  season,  I  preached  in  the  towns  of  Medway, 
Wrentham,  Oxford,  Charleston,  Brockfield,  Grafton,  Milford, 
Dana,  Williamsburg,  New  Salem,  Massachusetts;  and  Smith- 
field,  Rhode  Island. 

The  Association,  or  as  it  was  called  in  the  platform,  or 
constitution  adopted   the   preceding  year,    "  The    General 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  105 

Convention  of  Universalists  in  New  England,"  held  its  an- 
nual session,  in  the  fall  of  1804,  in  the  town  of  Sturbridge, 
Mass.  At  this  meeting,  I  for  the  iirst,  and  last,  and  only 
time  in  my  life,  saw  the  venerable  apostle  of  Universalism 
in  America,  Rev.  John  Murray,  and  heard  him  deliver  two 
discourses  ;  he  came  in  company  with  a  man  from  the  city 
of  New  York,  by  the  name  of  Palmer,  who  also  delivered 
one  discourse.  It  was  interesting,  indeed,  to  me,  to  see  and 
hear  Mr.  Murray.  I  had  heard  my  parents  often  speak  of 
him,  after  they  boldly  avowed  their  faith  in  Universalism  ; 
and  describe  the  manner  of  his  preaching ;  and  I  had  im- 
bibed a  high  veneration  for  the  man,  and  had  a  strong  de- 
sire to  hear  the  word  of  truth  from  his  lips  ;  nor  were  my 
anticipations  disappointed.  His  manner,  to  me,  was  pleasing, 
and  his  eloquence  captivating.  He  appeared  to  possess  a  per- 
fect government  over  his  own  passions;  riveted  the  attention 
of  his  hearers ;  carried  them  with  him  through  his  whole 
discourse,  and  made  them  feel  the  sensibilities  of  his  own 
soul  ;  would  bring  tears  into  their  eyes,  or  excite  their  risi- 
bility, with  as  much  ease  as  the  words  flowed  from  his  open- 
ing lips.  Mr.  Palmer  delivered  a  very  good  discourse  ;  but 
of  him  I  never  afterwards  heard  anything.  I  believe  he 
never  pretended  to  devote  his  time  to  the  ministry  ;  and  he 
never  associated  much  with  our  denomination,  nor  became  a 
member  of  the  convention. 

Mr.  Wooley  had  traveled,  the  preceding  summer,  as  far 
as  Otsego,  in  the  state  of  New  York,  and  had  preached  in 
ditferent  towns  in  that  section  of  countiy.  He  attended  this 
meeting,  and  brought  quite  a  favorable  report  of  his  success, 
and  the  call  for  the  preached  word  in  that  country.  He  ex- 
pressed great  confidence,  that  could  that  region  be  supplied 
with  preaching,  the  truth  would  spread  with  great  rapidity, 
and  societies  would  spring  up  in  every  direction.  And  to 
favor  the  cause  in  that  State,  and  dispose  societies  there  or- 
ganizing to  unite  more  readily  with  the  great  body  of  Uni- 
versalists, by  his  suggestion  the  name  of  the  convention  un- 
derwent a  modification  ;  it  was  resolved,  in  council,  that  it 
should  thereafter  be  entitled  "T/ie  General  Conveniionof  Uni- 
versalists  of  the  New  England  States,  and  other s.^^ 

By  the  persuasion  and  influence  of  a  man  in  the  town  of 
Worcester,  with  whom  I  became  acquainted,  I  engaged  to 
teach  a  district  school,  for  five  months,  in  that  town,  com- 
mencing the  first  of  November.      To  show  the  narrowness 


106  MEMOIRS   OF   THE 

and  illiberality  of  bigoted  souls,  and  their  hostility  to  a  doc- 
trine they  dare  not  attempt  to  refute  in  an  open  and  ingen- 
uous manner,  as  well  as  their  malignant  persecution  of 
those  they  dare  not  meet  in  open  discussion,  I  must  here  be 
permitted  to  relate  an  incident :  The  laws  of  Massachusetts 
required  a  school-teacher  to  procure  a  certificate  of  his 
moral  character  from  the  select  men  of  the  town  where  he 
resided,  or  had  last  resided,  and  of  his  literary  qualifications 
from  the  settled  minister  of  the  town  in  which  he  taught. 
I  had  taught  the  previous  winter  in  Massachusetts  ;  but  as 
it  was  in  my  native  district,  nothing  was  said  about  a  cer- 
tificate, and  I  never  applied  for  one.  But  now  I  was  going 
among  strangers,  and  it  was  necessary  I  should  be  supplied 
with  legal  credentials.  I  readily  obtained  my  credentials 
from  the  select  men  ;  and  knowing  that  sectarian  prejudice 
might  have  an  unfavorable  influence  on  the  feelings  of  the 
clergyman  in  Worcester,  should  they  learn  my  religious 
tenets  ;  I  concluded  it  might  be  essentially  to  my  advantage 
to  obtain  one  from  the  settled  minister  in  New  Salem  ;  and 
1  entertained  no  doubt  that  he  would  readily  give  me  one, 
inasmuch  as  he  and  I  had  always  been  acquainted  from  boy- 
hood, and  certainly,  until  we  became  preachers,  on  terms  of 
cordiality  and  friendship.  He  was  considerably  my  senior ; 
but  we  were  natives  of  the  same  town,  and  in  early  life  as- 
sociated much  together.  I  therefore  applied  to  him  with  all 
confidence  ;  but  alas!  I  applied  in  vain  ;  he  would  not  give 
me  one  ;  and  said,  if  the  clergymen  in  Worcester  knew 
their  duty,  they  would  neither  of  them  give  me  one.  It 
was  perfectly  obvious  that,  knowing  he  had  now  the  advan- 
tage of  me,  he  meant  to  use  his  prerogative  to  crush  me,  if 
in  his  power.  However,  he  had  not  time,  if  he  had  the  in- 
clination, to  interpose  his  influence  with  the  clergymen  of 
Worcester,  before  I  presented  myself  before  his  reverence, 
Dr.  Austin,  a  rigid  Calvanistic  divine  ;  and  in  less  than  half 
an  hour  obtained  the  necessary  credential. 

My  school  was  very  large,  for  a  district  school,  averaging 
seventy  or  eighty  during  the  whole  term  ;  and  as  I  had  no 
assistant,  it  required  my  whole  attention,  and  occupied  my 
whole  time,  day  and  evening  ;  so  that  I  made  no  appoint- 
ments to  preach,  nor  did  I  deliver  one  discourse,  during  the 
five  months  of  my  engagemenr.  Besides,  there  were  very 
few  in  that  place  who  felt  any  interest  in  the  cause  of  Uni- 
versalism  ;  there  was  but  one  solitary  individual  who  felt 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  107 

any  sympathy  for  the  doctrine  in  the  district ;  and  that  was 
Mr.  Williams,  by  whose  influence  I  was  employed,  and  with 
whom  I  boarded.  The  rest  of  the  district  were  all,  or  near- 
ly  all,  members  of  the  Orthodox  churches,  either  that  of  Dr. 
Austin,  or  Dr.  Bancroft ;  but  they  were  uniformly  very 
civil  and  friendly  to  me,  and  took  every  opportunity  to  ex- 
press  their  perfect  satisfaction  in  my  management  of  the 
school. 

I  had,  this  winter,  a  most  ample  illustration  of  the  power 
and  influence  of  habit — at  least,  educational  habit  ;  and  how 
easily  one  can  be  led,  with  the  most  innocent  feelings,  and 
conscientious  submission,  into  practices  which  another,  edu- 
cated under  different  circumstances,  would  shudder  at  the 
thought  of.  The  community  with  whom  I  resided  were  a 
friendly,  social  people,  fond  of  parties  for  conversation  and 
amusement ;  and  both  old  and  young  had  their  weekly  or 
semi-weekly  parties,  during  the  whole  winter.  For  awhile, 
the  young  people  gave  me  repeated,  polite,  and  even  urgent 
invitations  to  attend  their  parties  ;  but  I  excused  myself  on 
the  ground  of  the  necessity  of  employing  the  evening  in  pre- 
paring for  my  school  the  next  day.  And,  indeed,  it  was  ne- 
cessary to  do  much  in  that  way  ;  besides,  I  had  little  incli- 
nation for  such  amusements  as  they  indulged  in — dancing, 
playing,  and  the  like  ;  I  could  enjoy  much  more  alone,  in 
my  little  chamber,  in  reading  and  meditation.  After  trying, 
a  few  weeks,  to  induce  me  to  join  their  social  parties,  the 
young  people  gave  up  their  importunities  ;  and  I  enjoyed 
my  retirement  peaceably  for  a  short  time.  But  when  the 
older,  married  people,  saw  that  I  did  not  choose  to  associate 
with  the  young  in  their  amusements,  they  began  to  invite 
me  to  meet  with  them  ;  and  pleaded  the  importance  of  it,  as 
a  means  of  cultivating  an  acquaintance  with  my  employers, 
and  giving  satisfaction.  They  alleged,  that  none  but  the 
respectable  part  of  community  assembled  with  them  ;  and 
their  recreations  were  civil  and  inoffensive.  Well— I  agreed 
to  go  ;  and  one  evening,  in  company  with  Mr.  Williams 
and  his  lady,  I  went  nearly  a  mile,  but  within  the  limits  of 
the  district.  We  were  greeted  with  politeness  ;  and  soon  a 
large  assembly  of  middle-aged  ladies  and  gentlemen  were 
assembled.  After  their  teams  were  taken  care  of,  and  the 
company  were  comfortably  warmed  before  a  cheerful,  bla- 
zing fire  upon  the  hearth  of  a  large  square  room,  our  kind 
hostess  placed  a  table  in  the  centre  of  the  floor.     I  supposed 


108  MEMOIRS   OF    THE 

it  was  their  practice,  as  I  afterwards  learned  it  was,  uni- 
formly to  provide  supper  for  their  guests  ;  but  I  was  a  little 
surprised  that  they  should  get  it  so  early  in  the  evening  ; 
for  we  had  not  yet  been  assembled  half  an  hour.  However, 
I  concluded  it  might  be  their  custom  to  spread  their  enter- 
tainment at  an  early  hour  of  the  evening,  and  thereby  ren- 
der it  convenient  for  their  guests  to  retire  at  their  own  plea- 
sure ;  and  I  began  to  applaud  the  custom.  ,  But  I  was  soon 
undeceived — the  table  was  set,  brilliant  lights  placed  upon 
it,  and  a  pack  of  cards  thrown  thereon !  and  immediately 
the  people  surrounded  it,  male  and  female,  as  they  were  first 
introduced  into  our  strange  world,  and  began  to  shuffle  the 
cards,  and  to  deal  them  out.  They  politely  offered  me  a 
card  ;  but  I  told  them,  I  should  beg  to  be  excused  ;  as  I  was 
unacquainted  with  the  game.  They  expressed  some  doubt, 
and  began  to  rally  me  on  the  subject — said  I  was  supersti- 
tious— they  only  played  for  amusement ;  and  Mr.  B.  (that 
was  their  minister)  would  not  scruple  to  take  a  card,  when- 
ever he  met  with  them,  (Ssc.  I  told  them,  I  did  not  consider 
myself  superstitious — I  really  did  not  know  how  to  play 
cards — that,  although  when  quite  a  boy  I  had  known  suffi- 
cient to  play,  after  a  sort,  at  what  we  used  to  call  All-fours, 
yet,  for  many  years,  I  had  scarcely  seen  a  card,  and  had  ac- 
tually forgotten  all  I  ever  knew  alDout  them.  "O,  well,  if  I 
had  ever  known  any  thing  about  playing,  they  could  very 
readily  show  me  again."  I  replied,  that  I  thought  I  should 
be  rather  a  dull  scholar  ;  and  as  I  really  had  no  time  to  spare 
from  other  important  duties  and  studies,  I  should  ask  to  be  en- 
tirely excused.  So  I  sat  mostly  alone  during  the  evening  ; 
for  those  who  were  not  actually  engaged  in  the  game,  felt 
so  deeply  interested  in  the  result,  that  they  would  say  little 
or  nothing  about  anything  else.  The  good  lady  of  the  house, 
however,  commiserated  my  lonely  condition,  and  came  and 
seated  herself  by  me,  and  kindly  inquired,  if  I  ever  played 
chequers; — for  their  whole  thoughts  were  exclusively  on 
some  sort  of  game.  I  told  her  I  had  sometimes  tried  to  play. 
Well,  would  I  play  a  game  with  her  ?  Why,  madam,  I 
think  it  will  afford  you  but  dull  amusement,  for  I  really  pro- 
fess no  skill  in  that  game.  She  insisted,  however,  that  I 
should  play,  and  brought  out  her  chequer-board,  and  we 
commenced  the  game.  But  I  was  so  unfortunate  as  not  to 
get  a  king,  before  she  had  taken  every  "  man  "  from  me. 
She  gave  me  a  pretty  sharp  reprimand  for  carelessness,  or 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  109 

wilfully  wrong  movements — said  she  knew  I  could  play 
better,  if  I  would  try  ;  and  set  her  chequers  again.  But 
ao-ain  I  had  no  better  success — she  "  skunked  "  me  a  second 
time.  She  was  now  almost  vexed — said  I  did  not  try — she 
would  place  the  chequers  again  ;  and  I  must  try  to  do  bet- 
ter. I  observed,  that  I  was  perfectly  aware  it  could  be  no 
amusement  for  her  to  play  with  me — I  had  told  her  so  in  the 
first  place.  I  felt  very  grateful  to  her  for  her  endeavors  to 
entertain  me  ;  but  as  it  would  be  no  gratification  to  her,  to 
play  at  a  game  where  she  could  have  no  competition,  1  would 
not  insist  on  her  trying  it  any  longer.  She  would  try  it 
once  more  ;  and  I  should  try  to  do  better.  Well,  madam,  I 
will  use  what  skill  I  have.  But,  alas  !  she  "skunked  "  me 
the  third  time  !  and,  in  total  despair,  put  her,  board  and 
chequers  away,  and  went  back  to  the  card-table.  So  I  en- 
joyed my  own  thoughts,  in  quietness,  the  remainder  of  the 
evening. 

Card-playing  is  considered  by  many,  and  probably  by  most 
religious  people,  as  the  most  heinous  crime  that  mortals  can 
be  guilty  of  ;  and  I  verily  look  upon  it  as  one  of  the  most 
foolish,  and  even  the  most  dangerous  amusements,  that  a  ra- 
tional  mind  can  indulge  in.  It  certainly  consumes  time  that 
might  be,  and  ought  to  be,  more  profitably  employed.  No  in- 
formation whatever  is  obtained  ;  no  sociable  or  instructive 
conversation  can  be  enjoyed  ;  but  the  mind  is  wholly  en- 
grossed with  black  and  red  spots,  and  the  most  grotesque  pic- 
tures ever  drawn  on  paste-board,  and  exhibits  the  most  intense 
solicitude  about — nothing  !  I  could  but  marvel,  to  see  so 
many  well-dressed,  polite,  respectable,  and  apparently  well- 
educated,  and  well-informed  gentlemen  and  ladies,  spending 
the  precious  hours  of  life,  evening  after  evening,  in  this, 
worse-than-useless  manner.  And  the  astonishment  of  the 
reader  will  surely  equal  mine,  when  I  inform  him,  that  all  of 
these,  with  only  two  exceptions,  were  professors  of  religion, 
and  members  in  good  standing  of  one  or  the  other  of  the  Or- 
thodox churches  in  Worcester!  But  they  meant  no  hurt  by 
this  practice,  if  they  meant  no  good.  Nothing  would  have 
tempted  them  to  gamble,  as  they  called  it — i.e.,  to  play  for  the 
consideration  of  any  gain — not  even  one  cent.  Their  game 
was  mere  recreation,  to  pass  away  a  social — or,  as  I  should 
call  it,  an  unsocial  hour  ;  and  they  considered  it  perfectly 
harmless  and  innocent.  I  met  with  them  no  more  ;  and  they 
never  again  urged  me  to  do  so  ;  they  unquestionably  discov- 


110  MEMOIRS. 

ered  that  it  was  no  amusement  for  me,  but  rather  a  dull  en- 
tertainment.  I  found,  however,  that  it  was  a  uniform  prac- 
tice among  them,  whenever  they  met  together,  by  day  or  by 
night,  to  introduce  card-playing ;  and  every  man,  or  at  least 
every  family,  kept  a  pack  of  cards.  There  was  a  shoemaker 
who  worked  in  a  shop  a  few  yards  from  the  house  in  which  I 
boarded,  a  zealous  professor  of  religion,  and  a  member  of  Dr. 
Austin's  church,  and  whom  I  could,  at  any  time,  make  zeal- 
ously mad,  by  introducing  an  argument  in  favor  of  Univer- 
salism  ;  who  also  kept  small  articles  in  his  shop  for  sale,  such 
as  pins,  needles,  writing  paper,  quills,  &c.,  and  whenever  I 
wanted  any  small  articles  of  stationery,  I  stepped  into  his 
shop.  This  man  always  kept  a  pack  of  cards  lying  on  his 
bench ;  and  I  have  repeatedly  seen  him  lay  down  his  work, 
with  a  half-finished  seam,  when  a  neighboring  boy  came  in, 
and  take  up  his  cards,  and  go  to  playing  with  as  much  zeal 
as  he  would  anathematize  Universalism,  as  a  licentious  doc- 
trine, if  I  chanced  to  say  a  word  in  favor  of  it.  So  strangely 
• — so  singularly  are  we  influenced  by  our  educational  habits ! 
I  could  but  reflect,  most  seriously  and  solemnly,  on  the  vast 
responsibility  of  parents,  in  regard  to  the  education  of  their 
offspring. 


CHAPTEE  YL 


Author  starts  on  a  tour  to  Vermont— Visit  to  Mr.  N.  Foster— Mr.  Ps  former 
religious  sentiments—His  conversion  to  Universalism,  and  its  moral  ef- 
fects—Visits Benson— Leaves  Benson  on  a  tour  to  the  state  of  New 
York— Meeting;  in  Whitehall,  and  Fort  Ann—Incidents  in  Fort  Ann- 
Meetings  in  the  house  of  Mr.  Gilbert  Harris— Visits  his  brother  in  Cana- 
joharie— Interview  with  Elder  Elhot—Journey  to  Sangerfield,  Oneida 
county — Delivers  his  first  discourse  in  Sangerfield— Solicitation  to  remain 
longer— State  of  feeling  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  country,  and  pro- 
gress of  the  doctrine— Begins  to  itinerate  through  the  counties  of  Oneida, 
Chenango,  &c.— Visit  to  his  brother,  and  meeting  in  Otsego— Meets  Mr, 
■Wooley— Conference  in  Burlington— Germ  of  the  Western  Association— 
Opposition— Confab  with  Mr.  B.  Morse— A  bow  drawn  at  a  venture- 
Desultory  discussion  with  Rev.  Mr.  Knapp— Singular  question— First  dis- 
course in  Hamilton  village— Judge  Paine— Amusing  anecdote— First 
meeting  in  Madison— Interview  with  Elder  xMorton— Curious  anecdote 
of  Elder  M-— Challenge— First  meeting  in  Whitestown— Organization  of 
the  first  society  in  Oneida  county— Singular  remark  of  Polycarpus  Smith 
—A  regular  circuit — Joseph  Tenny  and  his  book — Two  societies  organ- 
ized—Growth and  prospects  of  the  cause. 

About  the  middle  of  April,  1805,  having  closed  my  school 
in  Worcester,  1  once  more  started  on  a  journey  to  the  State 
of  Vermont,  but  on  a  different  route  from  that  I  had  before 
traveled.  I  had  previously  received  a  very  pressing  solicita- 
tion from  an  old  gentleman  residing  in  Wilmington,  by  the 
name  of  Foster,  who,  from  my  earliest  remembrance  until 
within  a  few  year's,  had  been  a  resident  of  New  Salem,  and 
had  uniformly  served  as  a  tithing-man  in  the  Congregational 
Church,  and  whose  main  business  was  to  take  care  of  the  boys, 
and  keep  them  in  order,  on  Sundays.  He  was  a  most  rigid 
Partialist— equally  rigid  in  his  sentiments  and  discpline  of  the 
boys — and  we  all  stood  in  fear  and  dread  of  him.  He  had 
removed  to  Wilmington,  Vermont,  a  few  years  prior  to  the 
time  to  which  I  allude ;  and  I  had  not  seen  him  until  the  ses- 


112  MEMOIRS   OF   THE 

sion  of  tlie  Association,  in  the  autumn  of  1803.  As  I  then 
rode  up  to  the  house  where  we  stopped,  in  Winchester,  New 
Hampshire,  I  saw  a  man  approaching  from  an  opposite  direc- 
tion, who  resembled  Mr.  Foster  ;  but  surely,  (thought  I,)  that 
ca-n  not  be  uncle  Nathan ;  for  I  should  as  soon  expect  to  see 
one  arise  from  the  dead,  as  to  see  him  at  a  Universalist  meet- 
ing. However,  as  we  approached  each  other,  I  saw  that  he 
was  the  identical  man.  Still,  I  concluded  he  must  be  on  a 
journey,  and  our  meeting  purely  accidental.  We  both  dis- 
mounted and  secured  our  horses ;  and,  looking  again  so  as  to- 
be  sure  of  his  identity,  I  walked  toward  him  and  addressed 
him  by  name.  He  instantly  recognized  me,  and,  with  a  coun- 
tenance reflecting  cheerfulness  and  happiness,  took  my  hand 
with  unusual  Marmth.  Such  was  not  his  former  appearance. 
He  had  uniformly  worn  a  gjoom}^  countenance,  and  exhibited 
discontent  and  peevishness  in  his  demeanor.  After  inquiring 
concerning  his  health  and  family,  I  said  to  him,  "Mr. Foster, 
are  you  on  a  journey  ?"  He  responded,  "  No,  no  farther." 
I  then  said,  "  I  believe  there  is  a  religious  meeting  to  be  holden 
here,  to-morrow  and  next  day."  He  answered,  "Yes,  there 
is."  "  But,"  I  said,  "  you  have  not  come  to  attend  this  meet- 
ing, Mr.  Foster,  have  you  ?"  "Yes,"  he  replied.  I  next  in- 
quired, "  But  do  you  know  what  kind  of  meeting  it  is,  Mr. 
Foster  V  "  Yes,"  said  he,  "  it  is  a  Univerealist  Association.' 
"  But  you  are  not  a  Universalist,  Mr.  Foster !"  I  said.  "Yes, 
thank  God,  I  am,"  he  rejoined.  1  clenched  his  hand  again, 
and  thanked  God  for  his  deliverance  ;  and  the  big  tears  started 
in  the  eyes  of  the  good  old  man.  We  had,  indeed,  a  happy 
meeting — what  a  change  had  come  over  liim  !  He  was  com- 
pletely metamorphosed  from  a  gloomy,  sour,  crabbed  Partialist, 
to  one  of  the  most  cheerful,  pleasant,  and  happy  beings  I  ever 
met  with.  I  said  to  myself,  "  if  the  knowledge  of  divine  truth 
can  work  wonders  like  this — can  thus  renew  a  man,  in  his  old 
age — God  grant  that  it  may  speedily  prevail  over  all  Christen- 
dom." He  was  perfectly  sensible  of  the  full  and  complete 
change  wrought  upon  himself.  "O,"  said  "he,  "how  strange 
— how  unutterably  strange — I  have  lived  in  darkness  so  long, 
when  the  truth  is  so  clearly  taught  in  the  Bible  !  How  much 
I  have  lost!  O,  if  1  were  young,  how  earnestly  I  would 
preach  the  Gospel  to  mankind!"  And  he  did  preach.  His 
mouth  was  full  of  argument,  and  his  tongue  dwelt  on  praise, 
wherever  he  went.  He  so  lived,  and  so  died.  Both  were 
equally  astonished  at  meeting  each  other.     He  had  not  until 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  '  113 

then  heard  that  I  was  a  Universalist ;  and  he  would  probably  have 
thought  me  the  last  being  of  our  mortal  race,  who  would  attempt 
to  preach  it.  But  before  we  parted,  I  had  to  make  him  a  promise, 
should  Providence  permit,that  I  w^ould  at  some  future  period  make 
him  a  visit,  and  preach  in  his  neighborhood  ;  and  this  was  the  first 
opportunity  w'hich  presented. 

I  went  to  Wilmington,  tarried  one  Sunday,  and  delivered  two 
discourses  in  that  town.  From  thence,  I  pursued  my  journey 
to  the  town  of  Benson,  where  I  had  been,  repeatedly,  requested 
to  take  up  my  abode.  But,  after  spending  three  Sundays,  and 
looking  around  with  some  thought  of  fixing  upon  a  location,  I  did 
not  feel  exactly  satisfied ;  moreover,  I  had  an  undefinable  pre- 
sentiment that  1  was  not  altogether  in  the  right  place  ;  and  my 
mind  was  involuntarily  and  irresistibly  drawn  westward.  I  had 
a  brother  residing  in  the  town  of  Canajoharie,  in  the  State  of 
New  York,  whom  I  had  not  seen  for  a  number  of  years ;  and 
I  informed  my  friends,  in  Benson,  that  1  felt  it  a  duty  to  make 
him  a  visit.  They  again  requested  me  to  return  and  settle  with 
them ;  but  I  maoe  no  engagement,  telling  them  simply  that  I 
would  be  governed  by  the  indications  of  Providence.  If  I  found 
that  God  had  a  work  for  me  to  do  whither  I  was  going,  I  would 
try  to  do  it ;  if  not,  I  would  probably  return  to  Benson,  in  a  few 
weeks. 

My  first  stop,  after  leaving  Benson,  was  at  White  Hall,  at  the 
head  of  Lake  Champlain.  Here  I  stayed  two  days,  and  deliv- 
ered  a  discourse  in  the  dwelling-house  of  Capt.  Plinman,  who,  in 
consequence  of  a  spinal  injury,  had  been  confined  to  his  house, 
for  two  or  three  years.  In  the  township  of  Fort  Ann,  a  short 
day's  ride  from  this  place,  I  had  a  cousin  living  who  was  as  dear 
to  me  as  a  sister,  and  whom  I  had  not  seen  for  many  long  years. 
She  married  a  man  by  the  name  of  Goodell.  On  them  I  called, 
and  tarried  several  days,  at  their  urgent  solicitation.  They 
were  Baptists  ;  and  although  we  conversed  freely  and  much  on 
the  subject  of  religion,  and  although  I  expressed  my  feelings 
and  sentiments  as  plainly  as  language  would  enable  me,  without 
saying  they  were  Universalism,  they  did  not,  for  several  days, 
understand  me,  nor  did  they  suspect  that  I  was  a  preacher. 
There  was  a  gentleman  residing  within  a  few  miles,  with  whom 
I  had  formed  an  acquaintance  in  Benson ;  and,  during  my  stay, 
1  took  the  opportunity  to  make  him  a  short  call.  He  requested 
me  to  appoint  a  meeting ;  and  I  told  him,  if  a  house  and  congre- 
gation could  be  obtained,  I  should  be  very  happy  to  give  them  a 
discourse.     The  second  day  after  this  conversation,  a  man  by 

H 


114  MEMOIRS     OF    THE 

the  name  of  Gilbert  Harris  came  to  Mr.  Goodell's  to  graft  some 
fruit-trees  ;  and,  while  employed  in  this  business,  I  walked  out 
to  see  the  operation,  and  made  some  remarks  upon  the  improve- 
ment of  fruit  thereby.     "Yes,"  said  he,  witli  a  significant  look 
at  me,  "  this  is  doing  what  every  preaclicr  of  the  Gospel  ought 
to  do — taking  away  falsehood,  and  supplying  its  place  with  the 
truth."     And  then,  laying  aside  his  pruning  knife,  he  informed 
me  that  the  gentleman  I  have  alluded  to  liad  been  to  see  him 
on  the  subject  of  having  a  meeting  ;  and  requested  me  to  appoint 
a  time  to  preach  at  his  house.     My  friend  Goodell  stared  at  me 
with  amazement ;  and  said,  '•  Why  didn't  you  tell  me  you  were  a 
preacher]"     He  not  only  learned,  now,  that  I  was  a  preacher, 
but  also  learned  what,  probably,  were  my  sentiments ;    for  he 
knew  that  Mr.  Harris  was  a  zealous  Universalist.     I  made  an 
appointment  at  the  house  of  Mr.  H.,  and  Mr.  Goodell  and  wife 
accompanied  me  there  ;  I  had  designed  not  to  return,  but  proceed 
from  thence  on  my  journey.     A  good  congregation  were  in  at- 
tendance ;  and,  after  meeting,  many  of  them  surrounded  me,  and 
pressed  their  solicitations  with  so  much  earnestness,  that  I  con- 
sented to  return  back  with  Mr.  G.,  and  remain  over  the  next  Sab- 
bath.    I  did  so,  and  a  very  numerous  congregation   came  to- 
gether, my  friend  Goodell  and  wife  among  the  number.     They 
had  had  some  Universalist  preaching  in  that  section  of  country, 
and  there  were  some  among  them  who  were  not  ignorant  of  the 
doctrine,  but  quite  able  to  defend  it,  and  many  others  earnestly 
inquiring  after  truth.     They  made  a  small  contribution  to  assist 
me  on  the  way,  and  then  separated,  with  apparently  gratified 
feelings.     Here  I  parted  with  my  friend  Goodell  and   his  wife, 
who  still  maintained  their  usual  kindness  toward  me,  if  they  did 
not  feel  more  sympathy  for  the  doctrine  which  I  taught  than  they 
had  ever  done  before. 

The  next  morning,  I  again  pursued  m}'  lonely  journey  to  the 
west.  I  found  my  brother  in  Canajoharie,  as  I  anticipated ;  and 
■although  he  and  his  wife  were  exceedingly  gratified,  and  express- 
ed overmuch  joy  at  my  arrival,  (it  being  tlie  first  family  connec- 
tion wlio  had  visited  them  in  their  new  home,)  yet  they  had  no 
iQclination  to  hear  much  about  my  doctrine,  nor  to  have  me  preach 
in  the  place.  They  were  Free-Will  Baptists — my  sister-in-law 
was  a  member  of  Elder  Elliott's  church,  and  my  brother  a  con- 
stant attendant  on  his  meetings,  probably  with  an  intention  also 
of  becoming  a  member.  They  had  been  informed  that  I  had 
commenced  preaching ;  but  my  brother  told  me  it  would  be  use- 
less to  appoint  a  meeting  in  that  place,  as  no  one  thereabout  would 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL     STACY.  115 

willingly  hear  the  doctrine.  However,  he  was  mistaken ;  for  on 
a  subsequent  visit  I  had  a  request  to  preach  there,  and  did  preach 
several  discourses  to  very  respectable  congregations,  for  those 
times  ;  and  I  soon  found  some  believers  in  the  truth  of  the  Great 
Salvation.  On  my  second  visit,  some  five  or  six  weeks  afterward, 
I  had  a  short  interview  with  his  preacher,  Elder  Elliott.  The 
Elder,  hearing  I  was  there,  and  fearful,  no  doubt,  tliat  1  should 
corrupt  the  principles  of  my  brother  and  his  wife,  and  lead  them 
astray,  called  purposely  to  give  me  battle.  We  held  a  pretty 
brisk  conversation  in  the  presence  of  my  brother's  wife,  (he  beino- 
absent,)  probably  for  an  hour;  when  the  Elder,  manifestly  find- 
ing more  difficulty  in  his  way  than  he  had  anticipated,  became 
extremely  excited  and  impatient,  and  arose,  walked  rapidly  across 
the  floor  a  few  times,  then,  turning  on  his  heel,  he  addressed  me 
in  a  stern,  determined,  and  almost  defiant  manner,  as  follows : 
"  Mr.  Stacy !  I  will  tell  you  plainly,  if  there  is  not  something 
more  done  for  our  salvation  than  Christ  has  done,  or  ever  will  do, 
we  shall  all  be  damned."  I  looked  at  him  with  some  degree  of 
surprise,  no  doubt ;  for  I  was  truly  astonished  to  hear  such  a 
statement  from  an  old  preacher  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  as  he 
professed  to  be,  and  merely  replied ;  "  Well,  Elder,  if  such  be 
the  fact,  I  am  inclined  to  think  it  is  a  g07ie  case  with  us  all ;  for 
if  I  mistake  not,  I  have  read  in  the  Scriptures,  that  Christ  is  our 
only  Savior  ;  that '  His  own  arm  brought  salvation  ;  and  his  own 
righteousness  sustained  him ;  and  of  the  people  there  was  none 
with  him;'  that  '  There  is  none  other  name  given,  uncjer  heaven, 
among  men,  whereby  we  must  be  saved;'  and  that,  'By  grace 
are  ye  saved,  through  faith  ;  and  that  not  of  yourselves,  it  is  the 
gift  of  God;  not  of  works,  lest  any  man  should  boast.'  "  The 
Elder  seemed  not  inclined  to  say  tiny  more  to  nife,  and  soon  took 
his  leave.  But  it  had  a  very  salutary  effect  on  my  sister.  She 
remarked,  after  he  had  retired,  that  she  was  very  much  surprised 
to  see  the  Elder  manifest  so  much  passion,  and  hear  him  make 
so  singular  a  remark.  This  led  her  to  reflect  upon  the  subject, 
and  to  examine  it  with  more  prayerful  attention,  in  all  probability, 
than  any  thing  I  could  have  said  to  her,  under  other  circumstan- 
ces ;  and  it  was  not  long  before  both  she,  and  my  brother  also, 
became  fully  convinced  of  the  truth  of  the  doctrine,  and  lived 
and  died  rejoicing  in  the  faith  of  Universal  Salvation.  But  to 
return  to  the  thread  of  my  narrative. 

As  before  remarked,  my  brother  said  it  would  do  no  good  to 
appoint  a  meeting,  for  nobody  would  hear.  "  Well,"  said  1,  "  if 
people  do  not  wish  to  hear,  I  have  no  wish  to  hold  them  by  the 


116  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

button,  if  I  could ;  and  if  they  wish  not  to  hear  in  this  place, 
there  are  other  places  where  they  do  ;  and  I  am  going  to  Sanger- 
field,  to  see  if  the  people  there  are  equally  bigoted."  I  had  sev- 
eral old  acquaintances  in  Sangerfield,  and  one  relative,  a  sister's 
son.  My  brother  said,  if  I  would  wait  a  i'ew  days,  until  he  got 
his  work  in  a  state  to  leave,  he  would  go  with  me.  I  did  so,  and 
we  went  together  ;  the  distance  being  nearly  fifty  miles.  I  had 
not  been  in  Sangerfield  one  hour,  before  I  .was  requested  to  give 
them  a  discourse.  An  appointment  was  consequently  given  out 
for  a  meeting  in  a  little  hamlet,  called  the  Huddle,  (now  Water- 
ville,)  for  the  next  day.  The  doctrine  was  an  entire  new  thing 
to  a  large  majority  "of  the  people  in  that  country  ;  and  curiosity, 
if  nothing  else,  drew  together  as  many  people  as  could  possibly 
be  convened  in  a  school-house.  It  was  on  the  sixth  day  of  June, 
1805,  that  I  delivered  my  first  message  in  Western  New  York, 
as  it  was  then  denominated.  Breathless  and  profound  attention 
was  given ;  and  I  felt  confident,  from  appearances,  that  some 
minds  had  discovered,  at  least,  the  glimmerings  of  a  light  they 
had  never  before  seen.  Some  excitement  was  produced,  and  a 
good  deal  of  conversation  was  elicited  ;  and  before  many  of  the 
congregation  separated,  they  sent  a  deputation  to  me  with  a  re- 
quest that  I  would  preach  next  Sunday.  To  this  I  acceded,  and 
told  my  brother  that  he  might  return  home,  and  as  soon  as  I  could 
find  opportunity  I  would  make  him  a  visit ;  but  I  was  satisfied 
the  Lord  had  a  work  for  me  to  do  in  this  region,  and  I  was  re- 
solved to  stay  and  perform  it  according  to  the  best  of  my  ability. 
To  this  he  consented,  with  manifest  reluctance.  I  was  satisfied 
he  would  rather  I  did  not  preach  at  all.  But  I  told  him  I  should 
remain  ;  and  as  long  as  there  was  such  an  inclination  to  hear, 
I  would  proclatm  the  glad  tidings  of  free  salvation  to  all  who 
would  hear  me. 

The  next  Sunday  the  congregation  was  very  considerably  en- 
larged ;  such  was  the  case  generally,  wherever  the  doctrine  was 
first  introduced.  The  name,  Universalism,  was  a  strange  name 
for  a  religion.  And  the  thought,  that  any  mortal  man  should 
have  the  presumption  to  publicly  declare,  that  all  mankind  would 
finally  be  saved,  was  astonishing  !  and  curiosity  was  on  the  tiptoe, 
to  hear  what  could  be  said  on  such  a  theme.  It  was  said,  too, 
that  they  used  a  Bible,  and  had  the  temerity  to  attempt  to  pray! 
No  wonder,  then,  that  people  should  be  very  curious  to  witness 
such  an  anomaly,  and  see  the  Heaven-daring  wretch,  who  should 
make  such  a  mockery  of  sacred  things  !  For  two  or  three  dis- 
courses in  any  place,  the  congregations  would  be  quite  numerous. 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  117 

But  then  their  fears  would  begin  to  be  excited,  the  prejudices  ot 
their,  religious   education  would  operate,  the  alarm  would  be 
sounded  by  the  clergy,  and  the  congregation  would  suddenly 
drop  down  to  not  more  than  half-a-dozen  frequently,  and  some- 
times entirely  dwindle  out.     But,  in  most  instances,  some  would 
get  such  a  hold  of  the  truth  as  to  continue  faithfiil,  "  through 
good,  and  through  evil  report ;"  and  then,  by  an  untiring  perse- 
verance,  the  cause  would  gradually,  but  permanently,  grow. 
The  people,"after  recovering  a  little  from  their  first  alarm,  would 
occasionally  drop  in  again  ;  and,  bye-and-bye,  the  congregation 
would  increase  to  a  respectable  number  of  constant  hearers,  and 
permanent  supporters.     The  congregation  would  be  composed 
mostly  of  men  ;  very  few  women  would  dare  venture  in.     I  have 
frequently  addressed  quite  a  respectable  congregation,  for  num- 
bers,  and  not  a  woman  among  thenrl.       This,  at  first  thought 
seems  strange ;  when  we  would  suppose,  from  the  natural  b 
nevolence,  kindness,  sympathy,  and  tenderness  of  the  femak 
heart,  that  the  doctrine  of  the  universal  paternity  and  benevolence 
of  the  Divine  character  would  exactly  meet  their  desires,  and 
be  a  most  grateful  revelation  to  the  goodness  of  their  natures. 
But  they  were  more  difficult  than  men  to  persuade  to  hear  and 
examine  the  doctrine,  and  probably  for  the  very  reason  of  their 
superior  benevolence.     They  had  heard  the  doctrine,  if  they  had 
ever  heard  it  at  all,  distorted  and  misrepresented  by  the  popular 
clergy — condemned  as  a  delusion  of  the  devil,  and  calculated  to 
"  lead  souls,  blindfold,  down  to  hell !"     Their  early  relgious  ed^ 
ucation  disposed  them  to  place  implicit  confidence  in  the  learn- 
ing,  piety,  and  divine  knowledge  of  the  clergy  ;   whose  decision 
was  as  infallible,  in  their  estimation,  as  is  that  of  the  Pope  among 
Papists.     They,  therefore,  trembled  at  the  prevalence  of  a  doc- 
trine  fraught  with  such  woeful  consequences  to  the  human  race, 
and  felt  conscientiously  obligated  to  use  all  means,  not  only  to 
avoid  its  snares,  but  to  arrest  its  progress  ;  and  that  very  benev- 
olence, so  congenial  with  the  doctrine  of  divine  truth,  and -which 
now  leads  almost  every  female  of  sound  intellect  to  embrace  it, 
and  employ  all  means  within  her  sphere  of  action  to  promulgate 
it  among  the  sons  of  sorrow  ;  forbade  them  to  give  the  least  coun- 
tenance to  it,  or  to  those  who  were  engaged  in  its  extension,  lest 
they  should  be  accessory  to  the  spread  of  a  delusion  which  would 
endanger  the  eternal  welfare  of  a  single  soul.     This,  and  nothing 
else,  I  am  satisfied,  was  the  main  reason  of  the  shyness  and  op- 
position of  females  to  the  doctrine.     For  when  once  a  woman  did 
become  acquainted  with  it,  and  believed,  her  joy,  her  courage. 


118  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

her  zeal,  and  her  faithfuhiess,  exceeded  greatly  that  of  the  other- 
sex.  How  could  it  be  otherwise  ?  What  could  make  a  mother 
rejoice  more?  How  could  her  maternal  heart  fail  to  swell  with 
the  most  intense  sensations  of  gratitude  ?  How  could  her  tongue 
be  silent,  and  not  vibrate  with  the  "  high  praises  of  God,"  when 
she  could  look  around  upon  her  offspring — those  objects  of  her 
tenderest  love  and  greatest  solicitude,  for  whose  salvation,  if  no 
other  means  would  secure  it,  she  Avould  cheerfully  relinquish  the 
hopes  of  heaven  for  herself,  and  submit  to  endure  eternal  burn- 
ings— when  she  could  look  upon  them  with  faith,  a  faith  of  as- 
surance founded  upon  the  word  of  God,  and  a  "  hope,  like  an 
anchor  of  the  soul,  both  sure  and  steadfast,"  and  contemplate 
them  as  the  heirs  of  an  immortal  inheritance,  secured  by  the  idll 
of  their  heavenly  Father,  and  sealed  by  the  precious  blood  of 
Christ !     Oh  my  soul,  praise  the  Lord  ! 

Before  the  congregation  separated,  they  requested  another 
Sunday's  preaching  ;  and  a  request  was  made  for  a  lecture  irf 
the  adjacent  town  of  Brookfield.  I  consented  to  both,  and  gave 
the  messenger  from  Brookfield  an  appointment  for  the  next  Thurs- 
day. Here  an  old  gentleman  from  Hamilton,  by  the  name  of 
Murdock,  met  me,  with  a  request  for  a  meeting  in  his  place  ; 
and  on  the  next  Sunday,  I  had  a  call  to  go  to  another  settlement 
in  the  town  of  Sangerfield,  six  miles  from  the  village,  and  hold 
a  meeting.  To  all  these  calls  I  gave  a  ready  and  cheerful  as- 
sent, and  received  good  attention  at  each  place.  I  continued  ta 
preach  in  these  towns  on  Sundays,  and  lectured  in  different 
neighborhoods,  for  four  or  five  weeks ;  when  1  bethought  me,  it 
was  about  time  to  make  my  brother  the  promised  visit,  and  inform 
him  of  my  success  in  the  great  work  Heaven  had  appointed  for 
me ;  for  I  verily  thought  I  could  discover  manifest  tokens  of  di- 
vme  approbation,  and  a  blessing  actually  attending  my  feeble 
efforts ;  I  had,  moreover,  received  a  request  to  visit  the  north 
part  of  the  town  of  Otsego,  and  hold  a  meeting,  which  I  could 
easily  accomplish,  as  the  place  lay  directly  on  my  way.  Leav- 
ing appointments  to  fill  on  my  return,  allowing  myself  to  be  ab- 
sent one  Sunday,  I  started  on  my  tour,  called  on  my  friend  in 
Otsego,  left  with  him  an  appointment  for  the  next  Sunday,  and 
visited  my  brother  in  the  intermediate  time.  I  found  my  brother 
a  little  more  favorable  to  the  cause ;  and  he  began  to  think  it 
possible  that  a  meeting  might  be  acceptable  to  the  people  in  that 
place.  However,  I  had  not  time  then,  but  told  him  he  might 
feel  round  among  the  inhabitants  j  and  when  I  canae  again,  S 


LIFE    OF    KEV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  119 

would  hold  a  meeting,  if  they  desired  it.  At  that  \unc,  too,  I 
hcifl  the  interview  with  Elder  Elliott,  before  recorded. 

I  returned  to  Otsego  according  to  engagement ;  and  on  Sun- 
day had  a  barn  full  of  hearers.  Oh,  a  barn  is  ajnost  delightful 
place  to  hold  a  meeting  !  I  always  remember,  when  1  enter  one 
on  such  an  occasion,  that  a  stable  was  the*  birth-place  of  the  Sa- 
vior of  the  world.  After  meeting,  that  day,  Mr.  Wooley  carnc 
to  see  me.  He  had  preached  some  ten  miles  off;  but  hearing  of 
my  appointment,  had  hurried  through  his  services  as  fast  as  pos- 
sible, mounted  his  horse,  and,  soon  after  the  close  of  my  meeting, 
reached  the  place.  I  went  with  him  to  the  town  of  Hartwick, 
his  place  of  residence  ;  and  where  he  had  organized  a  small  so- 
ciety ;  which  was  then  the  only  society  of  Universalists  west  of 
the  Hudson  river,  if  not  the  only  society  in  the  State  of  New 
York. 

•  Mr.  Wooley,  Mr.  Edvyin  Ferris,  and  myself,  were  the  only 
preachers  of  Universal  Salvation  then  in  the  State  of  New  York, 
except  in  the  city  ;  and  Mr.  Ferris  was  scarcely  known  as  such, 
at  that  time.  He  had  united  with  the  connection,  and  preached 
a  few  years  in  New  England;  but  he  had  married,  and  some 
time  in  1802,  or  1803,  removed  into  the  town  of  Unadilla,  Ot- 
sego county,  purchased  a  lot  of  new  land,  and  begun  to  work 
upon  it.  He  had  held  some  meetings  in  the  vicinity,  called 
himself  a  Christian  preacher,  (not  a  Christ-ian,  for  the  sect  was 
not  known,  at  least  not  known  in  that  section  of  country,  at  thai 
time,)  but  said  little  or  nothing  about  his  peculiar  tenets.  Mr. 
Wooley  came  to  the  State,  I  believe,  in  1801,  preached  the  doc- 
trine boldly  in  every  place  where  he  could  lind  access;  and 
organized  the  society  in  this  place,  probably  in  the  winter  or 
spring  of  1805.  He  introduced  me  to  several  members  of  his 
society,  whom  1  found  to  be  worthy  and  excellent  people,  and 
strong,  and  bold  in  the  faith  ;  several  of  them  were  originally 
from  the  State  of  Rhode  Island,  and  were  made  converts  to  the 
under  the  preaching  of  the  venerable  John  Murray  ;  and  before 
leaving  them  I  agreed,  by  the  request  of  Mr.  Wooley  and  tl*e 
society,  to  preach  with  them  the  second  Sunday  in  July.  At 
this  time,  also,  our  Hartwick  friends,  with  Mr.  W.  and  myself, 
made  arrangements  to  hold  a  general  meeting  of  the  friends  of 
the  cause — a  conference,  if  you  please — for  mutual  consultation 
upon  measures  for  its  advancement,  as  well  as  for  religious 
worship;  and  the  place  agreed  upon,  as  the  most  eligible,  was 
Burlington,  Otsego  county ;  and  the  time,  the  Wednesday  after 
my  meeting  in  Hartwick.     The    Presbyterians  had  erected  a 


120  WE3I0IRS    OF    THE 

meeting-house  in  Burlington,  and  we  could  have  the  use  of  it 
for  ihe  occasion,  which  would  be  a  liberal  accommodation,  al- 
though the  house  was  in  an  unfinished  state ;  and  we  had  a  few 
friends  in  the  neighborhood,  who  would  cheerfully  supply  our 
temporal  necessities  while  among  them.  Letters  were  accord- 
ingly written  to  our  m'ost  influential  friends  scattered  through 
'the  country;  ar^  I\Ir.  W.  and  myself  would  give  all  the  notice 
we  could,  in  our  itinerations.  I  spoke  to  Mr.  Wooley  of  Mr. 
Ferris.  He  had  not  seen  him  in  this  country — did  not  know 
where  he  lived,  and  seemed  little  inclined  to  hunt  him  up,  or 
give  him  notice  of  our  proposed  meeting.  I  expressed  my  sur- 
prise — told  Mr.  W.  that  we  surely  all  should  be  together  on 
the  occasion,  there  were  so  few  of  us  in  the  country  ;  and  ex- 
pressed my  earnest  desire  that  he  should  be  notified,  if  possible, 
and  attend  the  meeting  at  Burlington  ;  and  I  was  at  a  loss  to 
account  for  his  indifference  about  it.  Mr.  Ferris  and  he  had* 
formerly  been  acquainted,  and  they  had  had  some  misunder- 
standing. Mr.  W.  was  a  man  of  rather  jealous  temperament, 
as  I  afterward  learned  by  experience  ;  and  I  had  no  inclination 
to  renew  acquaintance,  or  have  him  associate  with  us. 

I  returned  to  my  appointments  in  Hamilton,  Sangerfield,  and 
Brookfield,  and  gave  as  general  notice  of  our  meeting  in  Bur- 
lington as  lay  in  my  power.  I  also  made  arrangements  for  fur- 
ther labors.  On  the  second  Sunday  in  July  T  went  to  Hartwick, 
according  to  engagement ;  delivered  my  message,  and  ascer- 
tained that  no  notice  had  been  sent  to  Mr.  Ferris  ;  nor  could  I 
find  any  person  who  could  inform  me  where  he^lived.  Several 
persons  had  heard  of  such  a  man,  and  believed  he  lived  some 
where  on  Butternut  Creek,  either  in  the  town  of  Butternuts,  or 
not  far  below.  I  told  my  friends  I  was  resolved  to  find  him,  if 
he  could  be  found,  and  to  use  all  the  influence  I  could  exert  to 
induce  him  to  attend  the  meeting ;  as  we  surely  needed  all  the 
strength  we  could  muster,  to  meet  so  formidable  a  host  of  oppo- 
sers  as  we  anticipated.  I  had  never  seen  Mr.  F. ;  but  Ihad 
heard  a  good  report  of  him  at  the  east,  where  he  had  labored  ; 
and  I  had  enjoyed  a  very  particular  acquaintance  with  his  bro- 
ther Walter,  of  whom  I  had  a  very  exalted  opinion  both  as  a 
Christian  and  an  able  preacher  of  the  Gospel.  I  therefore  start- 
ed early  on  Monday  morning,  resolved  to  spend  all  the  time  1 
could  spare  between  then  and  our  meeting  on  Wednesday  in 
seeking  for  him,  if  it  v/ere  necessary.  Directing  my  course  to 
the  town  of  Butternuts,  I  made  inquiry  at  every  place  where  1 
thought  information  might  be  obtained  ;  but  I  could  hear  nothing 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  121 

of  him  until  T  got  near  the  south  line  of  the  town,  and  withia 
thr.ee  miles  of  his  residence  ;  there  I  found  a  man  who  knew 
him,  and  who  informed  me  where  he  resided.  I  reached  his 
dwelUng  early  in  the  afternoon.  He  was  not  within  when  I  ar- 
rived ;  but  his  wife  directed  me  where  I  might  find  him.  I  in- 
troduced myself  to  him,  told  him  my  business,  and  he  wept 
tears  of  joy.  He  had  not  seen  a  preacher,  and  but  very  few 
people,  who  could  sympathize  with  him  in  faith,  since  he  left 
New  England.  He  had  heard  that  Mr.  Wooley  was  in  the 
country;  but  I  soon  found  that  he  had  as  little  inclination  to  re- 
new acquaintance  with  Mr.  Wooley,  as  Mr.  Wooley  had  with 
him — their  antipathy  was  mutual.  However,  he  readily  agreed 
to  accompany  me  to  the  meeting  ;  and  the  next-  day  we  rode  to 
Burlington.  Individuals  from  a  great  distance  attended,  and  we 
made  up  a  numerous  and  respectable  congregation.  Public 
worship  was  holden  on  Wednesday,  and  Mr.  Ferris  and  Mr. 
Wooley  delivered  each  a  discour;^e.  ^  A  council  was  organized 
by  appointing  Mr.  W.  moderator,  and  Mr.  Abel  Gardner,  (lay- 
man,) clerk  ;  and  a  number  of  resolutions  were  passed,  the  most 
important  of  which  was,  that  it  was  expedient  to  organize  an 
association  in  the  State  of  New^  York.  Consequently,  delegates 
were  elected  to  attend  the  next  meeting  of  the  Convention  in 
New  England,  to  present  the  doings  of  this  meeting,  and  to  ask 
the  appointment  of  a  committee  from  that  body  to  meet  with  us 
on  the  first  Wednesday  and  Thursday  in  June,  1806,  and  assist 
in  the  organization  of  an  association ;  and  Mr.  Wooley  and  my- 
self were  appointed  said  delegates.  There  was  a  man  at  this 
meeting  by  the  name  of  Fowler,  who  had  been  a  Methodist 
preacher,  but  had  become  converted  to  the  faith  of  Universalism, 
and  for  several  years  after  this  preached  around  in  the  country, 
more  or  less  ;  but  his  preaching  did  not  prove  very  profitable  ; 
and  for  reasons  not  necessary  to  name,  he  was  never  received 
into  formal  fellowship. 

Mr.  Smith,  in  his  "  Historical  Sketches,"  says,  that  this  con- 
ference "  was  attended  by  two  or  more  delegates  from  each  of 
the  respective  societies,"  &;c.  Here  he  labors  under  a  trifling 
mistake.  But  one  single  society  existed  in  all  central  and  west- 
ern New  York — the  society  in  Hartwick.  Preaching  had  not  yet 
been  introduced  into  Whitestown,  and  no  organization  had  yet 
been  attended  to  in  the  field  of  my  special  labor.  The  society 
in  Hartwick  attended  nearly  en  mas^,  and  individuals  promis-' 
cuously  came  in  from  all,  or  nearly  tdl  towns  and  places  where 
preaching  had  been  introduced. 


122  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

This  meeting  was  attended  with  happy  consequences.  It  dif- 
fused information  abroad,  both  of  the  doctrine,  and  tlie  state.of 
the  cause.  It  encouraged  our  friends,  by  showing  that  we  were 
resolved  to  maintain  order,  and  persevere — that  we  were  de. 
termined  to  permanently  plant  the  standard  of  Universal  Grace, 
and,  by  all  the  weapons  of  divine  warfare  Heaven  had  placed 
within  our  reach,  to  manfully  defend  it.  It  gave  strength  and 
stability  to  the  doubtful,  and  encouragement  to  those  seeking  af- 
ter truth ;  and,  what  proved  equally  as  beneficial  and  advanta- 
geous  to  the  cause — it  alarmed  sectarians  and  awakened  upop- 
positon  and  discussion.  From  this  time,  and  indeed  from  the 
commencement  of  our  labors  in  the  state  of  New  York,  but  more 
especially  after  this  meeting,  which  had  a  tendency  to  bring  us 
more  into  public  notice,  we  met  with  warm  opposition  from  ev- 
ery quarter,  from  all  Partialist  denominations,  and  in  every  im- 
aginable form,  except  a  fair  one.  Fe^V  of  the  clergy  would 
condescend  to  hold  an  argument  with  us.  They  seemed  to  think 
that  the  most  successful  way,  at  least  the  safest  for  them,  would 
be  to  rail  against  the  doctrine  in  their  public  discourses,  to  mis- 
represent it,  to  slander  and  abuse  its  advocates,  and  to  treat  us 
with  the  utmost  contempt,  as  entirely  beneath  notice — to  sneer, 
or  frown  us  down  ;  but  they  would  encourage  their  deluded  and 
enthusiastic  emissaries  to  attack  and  abuse  us  at  every  oppor- 
tunity. 

My  most  common  practice  was,  at  the  close  of  my  discourses, 
especially  in  new  places,  to  give  liberty  for  remarks,  or  inquiry  ; 
and  whether  I  did  or  not,  I  was  most  sure  to  meet  with  opposi- 
tion from  some  quarter.  And  not  only  did  I  meet  opposers  at 
public  meetings  ;  but  at  almost  every  house  where  I  chanced  to 
call  ;  at  the  corners  of  the  streets,  and  on  the  public  highway.  - 
It  was  a  good  thing  for  me  ;  it  admonished  me  never  to  lay  aside 
my  panoply,  but  to  keep  the  weapons  of  my  warfare  polished 
and  bright.  Among  the  most  zealous  and  virulent  of  my  oppo- 
sers, was  an  old  gentleman  by  the  name  of  Benjamin  Morse, 
who  resided  in  the  town  of  Sangerfield.  This  man  was,  origi- 
nally, .from  Connecticut  ;  a  dissenter  from  the  Presbyterian 
church,  because  it  had  not  fire  enough  for  his  zeal.  He  was 
what  they  called  a  "new  light  ;"  and  as  great  a  Pharisee  as  I 
ever  met  with.  He  sought  me  out,  followed  me  from  house  to 
house,  attacked  me  in  the  most  abusive  manner,  and  would  de- 
nounce the  most  awful  iniprecations  upon  my  head.  For  a  sea- 
son, I  treated  him  with  the  deference  and  respect  due  to  his  age  ; 
and  several  times  had  the  success  to  cool  down  his  holy  wrath, 


LIFE    OF    REV.  ^NATHANIEL    STACY.  123 

aud  make  liim  ask  pardon  for  abuse.     But  he  would  soon  forget 
it.  and,  the  next  tune  I  met  him,  come  again  upon  me  like  a  liun- 
gry  lion.     At  length  I  told  him,  1  had  hitherto  treated  him  as  a 
youth  ought  to  treat  a  man  of  gray  hairs,  but  I  found  it  of  m) 
use ;  and  I  resolved,  in  future,  to  treat  him  in  his  own  way — to 
"answer  a  fool  according  to  his  folly ;"  and  he  must  remember 
tiie  old  adage,  "  If  you  begin  with  children,  you  must  take  chil- 
dren's play."     Shortly  after  this,  while  I  yet  made  my  home  in 
Sangerfield,  I  had  a  call  to  attend  the  funeral  of  a  child  in  Brook- 
field  ;  and  Mr.  Morse's  house  was  situated   on  my  way.     On 
my  arrival  at  the  place  of  appointment,  I   saw  Mr.  M.  in  the 
congregation.     Nothing,    however,   passed    between  us  at  the 
time  ;  but  on  my  return,  the  next  day,  when  I  v/as  in  sight  of 
his  house,  I  saw  the  old  gentleman  walk  deliberately  from  his 
door  down  to  the  road ;  and  when  I  came  up,  he  stood  leaning 
upon  his  fence.     "  Stop,"  he  said,  "  I  want  to  talk  with  you ;  get 
oif  and  walk  into  the  house."    "I  can  not  alight,  Mr.  M.,  I  have 
an   appointment  a-head,  and  have  little  time  to  spare."    "  But 
I  waiit  to  talk  with  you,"   he  replied'.     "  Well,  Mr.  M.,  I  will 
sit  here  and  talk  with  you  a  very  few  minutes  ;  but  I  can  not 
go  into  the  house."     "  I  was    at  your  meeting  yesterday,"  he 
said.     "  I  saw  you  there,"  said  I  ;    "  and  I  was  quite  surprised 
to  see  you  in  such  an  unhallowed  congregation."     "  T  did  not 
know  who  was  going  to  preach,  until  I  got  there."     "  Well,  sir, 
you  were  not  obliged  to  stay,  after  you  found  out  ;  the  same 
road  that  you  came  w^as  open  for  your  return."     "  Oh,  I  was 
not  afraid  of  you  hurting  me ;  but  your  doctrine  is  false — it's  a 
damnable  heresy."     "  How  do  you  know  that,  Mr.  M.?"    "Be- 
cause the  Bible  says,  '  He  that  believeth  shall  be  saved,  and  he 
tliat  believeth  not  shall  he  damned.'  "    "  Are  you  a  believer,  Mr. 
M.,  according  to  the  import  of  those  words'?"     "Yes,  thank 
God,  I  am."     "Your  words  prove  nothing  to  me,  Mr.  M. ;  if 
you  are  a  believer,  you  can  prove  it  by   something  more  con- 
vincing than  mere  assertion.     Can  you  exhibit  the  signs  which 
follow  the  believer?"     "Why,    what  are  they?"     "Do  you 
not  know  sir  ?     An  old  man,  whose  hairs  have  blossomed  for 
tiie  grave — one  who  has  long  made  high  and  loud  professions  of 
discipleship  to  the  Great  Teacher,  and  who  can  anathematize 
with  so  much  assurance  every  one  who  has  the  temerity  to  dis- 
sent from  his  creed, — and  not  know  what  conspicuous  signs  our 
Savior  said  should  follow  those  who  believed  !"     The  old  gen- 
.tleman,  with  a  lowered  voice,  said,  "I  do  not  now  recollect.'^ 
"  Well,"  I  replied,  "  'these  signs  shall  follow  them  that  believe  ; 


124  MEMOIRS   OF    THE 

in  my  name  shall  they  cast  out  devils ;  they  shall  speak  with 
new  tongues ;  they  shall  take  up  serpents  ;  and  if  they  drink 
any  deadly  thing,  it  shall  not  hurt  them  ;  they  shall  lay  their 
hands  on  the  sick,  and  they  shall  recover.'  Can  you  do  these 
things,  Mr.  M.  ?"  The  old  gentleman's  countenance  changed 
at  once  ;  he  dropped  his  head,  and  looked  confounded  ;  and 
merely  replied,  "I  never  tried."  "Well,  now  is  your  time  to 
try,  Mr.  M.  I  will  produce  a  sick  person  for  you  to  heal,  and 
deadly  poison  for  you  to  drink  ;  and  if  the  sick  recover  by  the 
laying  on  of  your  hands,  and  the  poison  does  not  injure  you,  I 
will  then  acknowledge  you  are  a  believer ;  otherwise,  I  shall 
take  the  liberty  of  pronouncing  you  an  old  impostor,  and  a  hyp- 
ocrite ;  and  most  solemly  warn  you  never  again  to  call  yourself 
a  believer."  The  old  gentleman  was  so  completely  confounded, 
he  could  not  reply.  He  had  never  had  any  just  conception  of 
the  meaning  of  the  passage ;  indeed,  he  did  not  seem  to  know 
that  the  words  I  quoted  were  connected  with  the  words  he  had 
repeated.  He  hemmed,  and  stammered,  and  changed  color; 
but  at  length,  looking  at  me,  stammered  out,  "  Are  you  a  be- 
liever ?"  "  1  have  never  told  you  that  I  was,  Mr.  M."  Then,  turn- 
ing on  his  heel,  he  cried  out,  "  Physician  heal  thyself,"  and  left 
me.  I  was  encouraged  to  hope,  now,  that  I  had  so  completely 
stopped  his  mouth,  that  he  would  no  more  assail  me  ;  for  there 
was  no  use  in  trying  to  reason  with  him  ;  and  all  he  seemed  to 
know  of  the  Scriptures  was  a  few  detached  passages,  which 
Partialists  had  converted  into  cant  phrases  to  sling  at  Univer- 
salists  :  but  I  was  mistaken.  He  repeatedly  assailed  me  after 
that  ;  and  soon  after  I  was  married,  and  fixed  my  residence  in 
Brookfield,  he  took  occasion  to  call  on  my  wife,  (who  was  not 
then  a  believer,)  in  my  absence,  and  warned  her  against  the 
doctrine ;  and  he  went  so  far  as  to  advise  her  to  leave  me,  and 
no  longer  endanger  her  salvation  by  living  with  such  a  heretic  ? 
I  had  heard  a  story  about  the  old  gentleman  ;  and  some  of  my 
friends  told  me,  if  I  would  tell  him  of  it,  he  would  quit  me,  and 
never  again  trouble  me.  It  was  not  long  before  the  old  man 
called  again,  and  I  happened  to  be  at  home  ;  when  he  soon  be- 
gan his  abuse.  1  said  to  him  "  Mr.  Morse,  I  feel  it  my  duty  to 
ask  you  a  few  serious  questions,  and  beg  you  will  give  me  can- 
did replies.  I  am  sorry  to  be  under  the  necessity,  but  duty  im- 
pels me.  "  I  am  ready,"  he  said,  "to  answer  any  question  that 
you  are  disposed  to  ask,  that  I  am  able  to  answer."  "Well, 
sir,  you  can  answer  them  perfectly  easy,  if  you  feel  disposed  to  • 
do  so."  [Here  I  must  inform  the  reader,  that  the  old  gentleman  was 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  125 

a  shoemaker  by  trade ;  and  also,  that  he  had  been  telling  me  some 
stories  about  Michael  Coffin,  who  was  once  a  Universalist 
preacher,  but  who  had  been  expelled  from  the  connection  years 
before  that  time.]  "  The  first  question  I  wish  to  propose,  Mr. 
M.,  is,  how  long*  is  it  since  you  experienced  religion,  and  have 
squared  your  conduct  by  the  holy  precepts  of  the  Gospel?" 
"  Ever  since  I  was  sixteen  years  old — thank  God,"  he  replied. 
"  How  long  is  it,  Mr.  M.,  since  you  made  a  pair  of  birch-bark 
shoes  for  a  man,  instead  of  leather  ;  and  obliged  him  to  take 
them  because  the  obligation  did  not  say  leather  shoes  .^"  The 
old  gentleman  started  from  his  seat,  evidently  in  a  violent  pas- 
sion, and  walked  rapidly  across  the  floor,  and,  in  quite  an  art- 
gry  tone,  cried  out,  ''  I  don't  know  any  thing  about  birch-bark 
shoes."  "I  don't  know  that  you  do,  Mr.  M. — don't  get  mad." 
"  If  you  say  I  ever  made  a  pair  of  birch-bark  shoes  for  any 
man,  you  shall  prove  it."  "  I  have  not  said  so,  Mr.  M  ;  I  mere- 
ly asked  you  a  question — don't  be  offended.  But  supposing  you 
did  so,  which  would  be  the  worst,  think  you,  in  the  sight  of  God, 
to  do  as  you  say  Coffin  did,  or  to  cheat  a  man  out  of  his  just 
dues?"  The  old  gentleman  turned  toward  me  with  his  fist 
doubled,  and  said,  "If  you  say  I  have  cheated  a  man  out  of  h's 
just  dues,  you  shall  prove  it."  "I  have  not  said  so,  Mr.  M.;— 
why  are  you  so  olTended  ?  But  we  should  do  well  to  remember 
the  old  adage,  '  Those  who  live  in  glass  houses,  should  be  care- 
ful how  they  throw  stones.'"  T'heold  gentleman  discovered  he 
could  not  frighten  me,  and  soon  left  ;  and' as  my  friends  pre- 
dicted, it  entirely  broke  up  his  haunt  —  he  never  afterwarfis 
molested  me. 

But  every  imaginable  means  was  resorted  to  in  order  to  si- 
lence, and  put  me  down,  and  stop  the  progress  of  the  doctrine — 
arguments,  threats,  ridicule,  and  even  flattery  !  Some  said, 
"  Such  a  fellow  ought  not  to  be  suffered  to  go  at  large.  The 
law  ought  to  make  provision  to  arrest  and  confine  such  disturb- 
ers of  the  public  peace."  Children  were  indulged,  or  perhaps 
taught,  to  insult  me  in  the  streets,  by  throwing  sticks,  and  cry- 
ing  out,  "  There  goes  a  Universalist  preacher ! — Halloa,  you, 
Universalist  preacher  !"  One  man  came  to  me,  a  man  in  good 
standing  in  society,  and  a  member  of  the  Congregationalist 
church,  and  in  a  wonderfully  complaisant  manner  complimented 
me  on  my  happy  talent  for  public  speaking  ;  and  said,  that  a 
number  of  the  brethren  had  heard  me  preach,  and  were  highly 
pleased  with  my  manner ;  and  if  I  could  only  consent  to  preach 
the  doctrine  they   believed,  as   they   were  now  destitute  of  a 


126  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

preacher,  I  would  give  great  satisfaction,  and  command  almost 
any  salary  I  would  name.  I  looked  at  him  with  indignation  ; 
for  I  saw  more  of  the  devil  in  him  than  I  had  seen  in  any  one 
before,  and  rebuked  him  sharply — told  him,  if  he  supposed  I 
was  preaching  to  please  people,  or  for  the  sake  of  salary,  he 
was  greatly  deceived  in  his  man — that  his  threats,  his  sneers 
and  his  flatteries,  were  equally  despicable  in  my  view;  and  he 
would  find  them  as  unavailing  to  turn  me  from  my  course,  as 
his  arguments  were  to  refute  the  doctrine  I  preached.  I  would 
answer  him  in  the  language  of  the  inspired  Peter — "  Whether 
it  be  right  in  the  sight  of  God,  to  barken  unto  you  more  than  un- 
to God^judge  ye."  The  man  left  me,  rebuked,  and  evidently 
ashamed. 

1  had  repeated  invitations  to  call  at  the  houses  of  opposers, 
and  discourse  with  them  ;  and  being  desirous  of  improving  ev- 
ery means  in  my  power  to  advance  the  cause  of  Divine  truth,  1 
accepted  .such  invitations  as  often  as  possible,  whenever  I  thought 
I  should  not  be  abused  beyond  endurance.  A  Mr.  B — t,  an  in- 
fluential member  of  the  Presbyterian  chiirch  in  Sangerfield,  had 
several  times  manifested  a  great  desire  for  a  conversation, 
and  very  earnestly  requested  me  to  make  him  a  visit.  He 
wanted  a  long  conversation — he  had  a  great  regard  for  me,  and 
verily  thought  he  could  show  me  the  error  of  my  way  so  clear- 
iv,  that  I  would  forsake  it.  Pie  had  a  great  many  passages  of 
Scripture  he  wanted  to  read,  which  he  thought  1  could  not  re- 
concile with  the  doctrine  of  Universalism.  He  wanted,  at  least, 
half  a  day's  conversation,  &c.  &c.  My  friends  said  he  would 
treat  me  civilly,  and  several  of  them  would  accompany  me ; 
I  ao-reed  therefore  to  make  him  an  afternoon  visit ;  and  the  time 
was  appointed.  The  day  arrived,  and  I  went  in  company  with 
some  five  or  six  who  were  desirous  of  hearing  the  discourse  ; 
and  we  found  as  many,  or  more,  of  his  special  friends  already 
assembled,  and  among  them  the  before,- mentioned  Benjamin 
Morse,  who  was  father-in-law  to  Mr.  B — t;  making  quite  a  re- 
spectable  congregation  of  hearers,  for  those  days,  and  that  place. 
We  were  received  very  civilly  ;  and  Mr.  B — t  soon  got  his  Bi- 
ble, which  he  had  prepared  for  the  occasion  by  turning  down  a 
vast  number  of  leaves.  The  first  passage  he  introduced  wa.s 
the  parable  of  the  rich  man  and  Lazarus  ;  and  was  very  an- 
xious to  know,  how  I  could  reconcile  that  passage  with  the  doe- 
trine  of  Universal  Salvation  ?  After  a  few  remarks,  in  which  I 
succeeded  in  showing  him  it  was  a  parable,  or  a  figurative  pas- 
sage, I  observed,  "  We  must  seek  a  solution  of  it,  as  well  as  of 


life'  of    rev.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  127 

ail  Other  figurativo  passages,  by  carefully  examining  the  con- 
text, in  all  its  bearings  ;  as  well  as  parallel  texts."  He  still 
lield  the  Bible  in  his  hand — •!  had  none  in  mine  :  "  Now,  sir," 
I  said,  "  we  will  examine  the  context,  and  see  how  the  Savior  in- 
troduces the  parable,  and  what  his  leading  discourse  was  about. 
Please  to  look  after  me,  and  see  whether  I  repeat  right  ;"  and  I 
began,  "  '  The  law  and  the  prophets  were  until  John  ;  since  that 
time  the  kingdom  of  God  is  preached,  and  every  man  presseth 
into  it  ;  and  it  is  easier  for  heaven  and  earth  to  pass,  than  one 
tittle  of  the  law  to  fail.  Whosoever  putteth  away  his  wife,  and 
uiarrieth  another,  comraitteth  adultery  ;  and  whosoever  marrieth 
H  her  that  is  put  away  from  her  husband,  committetli  adultery' — • 
Do  I  read  right,  sir?"  The  man  raised  not  his  eyes,  but 
changed  color,  looked  confused,  and  after  a  long  pause,  drawling- 
ly  answered,  "  Y-e-s."  I  was  surprised  at  his  manner  ;  and  on 
looking  around,  observed  his  wife's  face  blood-red,  and  nearly 
every  one  in  the  room  with  the  muscles  of  their  faces  disturbed, 
evidently  with  suppressed  laughter.  What,  in  the  name  of 
reason,  (thought  I,)  does  all  this  mean  ?  I  felt  confused,  and 
hurt;  and  looked  round  on  the  company  disapprovingly,  and 
then  proceeded  with  my  reading,  and  exposition  of  the  parable. 
Mr.  B — t  made  no  objection  to  the  exposition  ;  but  seemed  quite 
satisfied  with  it.  Nor  did  he  once  attempt  to  dispute  my  inter- 
pretation of  any  one  of  the  numerous  passages  he  introduced, 
nor  offer  an  argument  against  my  doctrine  ;  but  seemed  to  listen 
attentively  to  all  I  said ;  though  I  could  not  help  observing  that 
he  appeared  somewhat  embarrassed,  and  conducted  quite  differ- 
ently, all  the  afternoon,  from  what  I  anticipated  ;  nevertheless, 
he  treated  me  kindly  ;  and  we  parted  in  a  friendly  manner^ 
On  my  way  to  a  friend's  house,  where  I  was  going  to  stop  for 
the  night,  he  said,  "  Why,  you  gave  Mr.  B — t  a  most  tremen- 
dous shot."  "I  crave  Mr.  B — -t  a  shot!  How — what  do  you 
mean,  sir?"  "Why,  don't  you  know?"  "Certainly  not — [ 
had  no  design  to  injure  his  feelings;  and  if  I  gave  him  a  shot, 
as  you  say,  I  am  totally  ignorant  how."  "But,  do  you  not 
know  his  situation?"  "  No  ;  I  am  acquainted  with  no  peculiar- 
ities of  his  circumstances."  "  Why  did  you  stop,  then,  in  that 
particular  spot  in  the  parable,  and  ask  him  if  you  read  right  ?" 
"  Because  1  wanted  to  fix  his  attention  closely  on  the  subject  ; 
and  I  was  then  going  to  enter  on  the  parable  he  had  introduced 
for  examination."  "Well,  everybody  in  the  house  supposed 
you  knew  he  was  the  identical  character  there  spoken  of,  and 
that  you  did  it  intentionally,  because  of  that  ;  they  supposed 


128  MEMOIRS   OF   THE 

that  you  knew  he  was  living  with  a  second  wife,  his  first  wife 
being  yet  alive.  He  is  the  man  who  has  put  away  his  ivife^  and 
married  another.''''  "Well,"  I  replied,  "this  was  not  dreamed  of 
by  me.  Surely  the  bow  was  drawn  at  a  venture  ;  and  if  he 
was  hit,  the  Lord  directed  the  arrow  ;  and  I  hope  it  may  prove 
a  salutary  wound."  Mr.  B — t  had  been  vociferous  in  his  con- 
demnation of  Universalism  on  account  of  its  licentious  tendency  ; 
but  I  heard  no  more  from  him  after  this — he  was  peaceable  as  a 
lamb. 

After  I  had  delivered  two  or  three  discourses  in  Hamilton,  in 
the  neighborhood  called  Colchester,  or  rather  Graham's  Corners, 
it  began,  as  usual,  to  produce  some  excitement,  and  stir  up  op- 
position. They  had  a  settled  Presbyterian  clergyman,  an  aged 
man,  by  the  name  of  Knapp,  who  held  his  meetings  at  the  centre 
of  the  town,  about  three  miles  from  the  place  of  my  meetings. 
Several  of  his  hearers  had  attended  my  discourses,  and  become 
favorably  impressed  with  the  doctrine  advanced.  The  old  gen- 
tleman became  alarmed,  and  told  them,  if  they  would  get  me  to 
deliver  a  discourse  in  a  certain  school-house,  near  the  centre  of 
he  town,  he  would  attend  the  meeting  and  refute  the  doctrine  in 
iheir  presence.  Poor  man !  he  little  knew  what  the  doctrine 
was,  as  he  afterwards  found  out.  1  was  requested  to  make  the 
appointment ;  which  I  accordingly  did,  without  being  informed 
of  Mr.  K.'s  engagement.  On  the  appointed  day,  I  repaired  to 
the  house  of  a  friend,  near  the  place  of  appointment,  to  put  out 
my  horse,  when  he  informed  me  that  it  was  quite  probable  Mr. 
Knapp  would  attend  meeting  ;  and  asked  me,  if  1  should  feel 
intimidated  if  he  were  among  my  hearers  ?  I  replied,  I  thought 
not — I  had  no  fears  from  the  opposers  of  the  doctrine,  but  really 
desired  that  all  such  would  attend,  and  examine  for  themselves. 
He  did  not  tell  me,  however,  that  Mr.  K.  had  engaged  to  attend, 
for  the  express  purpose  of  argument,  nor  hint  that  he  had  any 
such  object  in  view.  I  requested  the  gentleman,  however,  if  Mr. 
K.  did  come  in,'  to  introduce  him  to  me  ;  as  I  always  wished  to 
treat  a  clergyman  with  the  respect  due  to  his  profession.  Soon 
the  people  assembled,  and  filled  the  house  to  excess.  The  exer- 
cise was  delayed  for  a  season  with  the  expectation  of  Mr.  K's 
arrival  ;  but  as  1  heard  nothing  of  him,  and  the  people  began  to 
manifest  some  uneasiness,  I  arose  and  opened  the  meeting.  At 
the  close  of  prayer,  an  old  gentlemen  who  stood  near  me  pointed 
out  Mr.  K.  He  had  come  in  during  prayer,  and  taken  his  seat 
near  the  centre  of  the  house.  On  being  informed  who  he  was, 
I  called  him  by  name,  and  invited  him  to  a  seat  by  my  side ; 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  129 

this  he  declined,  however,  and  I  proceeded  with  my  services. 
I  took  for  a  text,  2  Luke  10  :  4,  and  labored  with  all  my 
powers  to  show  the  listening  congregation  the  nature  of  those 
good  tidings  which  the  angel  published  to  the  shepherds,  the  cer- 
tainty of  their  universal  publication,  and  the  salvation  which 
would  surely  be  produced  thereby.  The  whole  congregation, 
(and  many  of  Mr.  K.'s  hearers  were  among  the  number,)  gave 
profound  attention.  As  soon  as  the  text  was  named,  Mr.  K. 
took  out  his  Bible,  and  was  very  busy  with  it  through  the  whole 
of  the  discourse.  I  supposed  he  was  looking  up  my  proof-texts, 
and  watching  to  see  if  1  did  not  mutilate  the  word  of  God ;  and 
to  favor  him  as  much  as  possible,  I  would  quote  book,  chapter, 
and  verse,  as  accurately  as  my  memory  would  serve.  The  ser- 
vices closed — the  confrreiyation  were  dismissed,  but  not  a  soul 
moved — the  house  was  as  still  as  the  chamber  of  death — the 
people  looking  toward  each  other,  and  then  toward  Mr.  K.;  and 
for  several  minutes  this,  to  me,  strange  scene  continued.  I  felt 
surprised  at  this  unusual  circumstance,  but  concluded  to  wait 
the  event  with  equal  silence.  At  length,  probably  to  break  the 
wearisome  spell,  some  individual  called  for  a  contribution.  Mr. 
K.  then  spoke — "  Yes,"  he  said,  "  there  will  be  opportunity  for 
those  who  wish  to  contribute ;  but  before  it  is  taken,  I  wish  the 
privilege  of  making  a  few  remarks."  The  congregation,  as  with 
one  consent,  took  their  seats,  and  Mr.  K.  proceeded :  "  The 
young  man  has  said  a  great  deal ;  and  much  that  he  has  said  is 
true.  His  exhortation  is  good,  and  I  could  wish  we  might  all 
profit  by  it.  But  this  doctrine  of  Universal  Salvation  is  not  true  ; 
for  in  view  of  that,  I  desire  to  know  what  he,  or  any  one  else,  can 
do  with  the  passages  of  Scripture  that  I  shall  now  read."  I  then 
learned  the  use  the  old  gentleman  had  been  making  of  his  Bible. 
1  had  noticed  he  had  turned  down  a  number  of  leaves ;  and  he 
now  turned  them  up,  in  succession,  and  commented  as  he  read, 
beginning  with  Mai.  4 :  1.  "  For  behold  the  day  cometh  that  shall 
burn  as  an  oven,"  and  proceeding  through  many  of  the  parables  in 
the  Evangelists,  he  closed  with  his  comment  on  the  twentieth 
chapter  of  Revelations.  He  spoke  nearly  as  long  as  I  had,  and 
the  most  profound  attention  was  given  him.  When  he  closed,  I 
arose,  and,  addressing  myself  to  Mr.  K.,  thanked  him,  most  sin- 
cerely,  for  his  attendance,  and  for  his  faithfulness.  I  remarked, 
it  was  not  often  that  I  found  such  a  manifestation  of  faithfulness  ; 
for,  in  most  cases,  those  who  were  placed  as  shepherds  of  the 
flock  would  flee  when  they  saw  the  supposed  wolf  coming,  and 
ensconcing  themselves  behind  the  impregnable  bulwark  of  their 
I 


130  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

own  pulpits,  entirely  out  of  his  reach,  would  there  growl  their 
disapprobation,  and  thunder  anathemas  upon  his  head.  But  he, 
as  a  faithful  guardian  and  guide  of  the  people  of  his  charge,  had 
come  to  meet  the  enemy,  and  arrest,  in  its  infancy,  the  error  to 
which  he  supposed  them  exposed.  I  felt  grateful,  too,  on  another 
account.  He  had  afforded  me  an  opportunity  to  answer  his  ob- 
jections in  the  audience  of  the  people ;  and  thus,  I  hoped  and 
trusted  to  advance  the  cause  of  divine  truth.  I  then  took  up  the  . 
texts  in  the  order  he  had  read  them,  (for  he  had  not  read  a  single 
passage  which  was  not  perfectly  fimiliar  in  my  memory,)  and 
gave  my  opinion  on  them  ;  and  probably  occupied  about  as  much 
timer  as  he  had,  in  his  comments;  the  people,  all  the  while,  lis- 
tened with  breathless  attention — such  was  the  excitement  to  hear 
the  discussion.  But  there  was  evidently  some  alarm  felt  by  some 
of  Mr.  K.'s  church.  I  had  scarcely  closed  my  comment  on  the 
last  passage,  introduced  by  Mr.  K.,  when  some  person  cried  out 
in  an  agitated  tone  to  me,  "  What's  become  of  Judas  f  I  an- 
swered suddenly,  "  He  has  gone  to  his  own  place."  "  Where's 
that?"  he  inquired.  Another  answered,  before  J  had  time  to 
speak,  "To  hell,  Christ  says."  I  responded,  "He  does  not  say 
a  word  like  that."  "  He  does,"  was  the  quick  reply.  I  askeJ, 
"  Please,  sir,  show  me  the  place  in  the  Bible  where  Christ  say- 
that  hell  is  Judas'  place  ?"  He  replied,  "  Christ  called  him  a 
devil,  and  hell  is  the  place  for  devils."  I  further  inquired,  "  Do 
you  believe,  sir,  that  the  old  serpent,  which  is  the  devil  and  sa- 
tan,  are  one  and  the  same  character?"  "Yes,"  he  answered. 
Then  I  asked,  "  Well,  sir,  what  has  become  of  Peter?"  -"I 
don't  know,"  said  he.  1  replied,  "  Our  Savior  said  to  Peter, 
'  Get  thee  behind  me,  satan  ;  thou  art  an  offense  unto  me.'  Now 
if  Judas  has  gone  to  hell  because  he  was  a  devil,  Peter  must  also 
have  gone  there,  because  he  was  a  satan ;  and  we  lose  two  of 
Christ's  disciples.  What  shall  we  do  in  such  a  case,  sir?"  By 
this  time  silence  prevailed  again — no  reply  was  made.  I  then 
took  up  the  case  of  Judas,  and  spoke  pretty  freely  ;  for  God  gave 
me  great  freedom  of  utterance.  After  1  had  closed,  I  waited  a 
few  moments  for  some  response  ;  but  none  was  made.  1  then 
addressed  Mr.  K.,  as  follows  :  "  We  have  kept  the  people  here  a. 
long  while,  and  they  have  surely  manifested  a  great  share  of 
patience.  Much  has  been  said  on  both  sides  of  the  question,  but. 
the  argument  has  not  been  brought  to  a  crisis.  Probably  the 
people  have  not  yet  been  able  to  discover  where  the  truth  lies. 
Now,  if  you  will  answer  me  two  or  three  plain  questions,  we  will 
at  once  let  this  waiting  and  patient  congregation  see  whei'e  the 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  131 

truth  is,  without  detaining  them  many  minutes  longer."  "  I  am 
willing,"  he  said,  very  pleasantly,  "to  answer  any^question  I  am 
able  to  answer."  "Well,  sir,  the  questions  shall  be  plain,  such 
as  you  can  easily  answer,  and  such  as  will  admit  of  a  direct  an- 
swer. Do  you  believe,  sir,  that  it  is  the  will  of  God  that  all  men 
should  be  saved?"  He  replied,  "  It  is  the  will  of  God,  that  all 
who  accept  of  the  overtures  of  mercy,  who  close  in  with  the  offers 
of  salvation,  who  repent  and  believe  the  Gospel,  should  be  saved." 
1  rejoined,  "  Mr.  K.,  will  you  have  the  goodness  to  answer  my 
questions  directly  ?  and  then  you  can  make  as  many  remarks  as 
you  please,  afterwards.  Do  you  believe  that  it  is  God's  ?^///that 
all  mankind  should  be  saved  ?  I  do  not  ask  you  if  they  will  be 
saved,  but  whether  or  not  you  believe  it  is  God's  will  to  save 
them?"  He  spoke  a  second  time  in  a  very  similar  manner, 
wholly  evading  an  answer  to  the  question.  I  then  said,  "  Mr. 
K.,  I  must  confess  that  I  am  such  a  blunder-head,  I  do  not  un- 
derstand which  you  mean,  yes  or  no;  have  the  goodness 
to  tell  me  ? — I  simply  ask  for  your  belief;  and  you  can  certainly 
tell  m.e  what  you  believe  about  it,  if  you  please.  Do  you  be- 
lieve it  is  the  will  oi  God,  that  all  men  should  be  saved,  or  not  ?" 
He  now  began  to  grow  a  little  petulent,  and  answered  rather 
peevishly,  "  It  is  God's  will  to  save  as  many  as  he  pleases." 
"  Mr.  K.,"  said  I,  "  if  you  are  unwilling  to  answer  the  question, 
please  to  say  so,  and  I  will  dispense  with  this,  and  ask  another ; 
but,  if  you  are  willing  to  answer  the  question,  I  wish  you  would, 
so  that  I,  and  these  people,  can  understand  you.  Do  you  believe, 
that  it  is  the  will  of  God,  that  all  men  should  be  saved,  and  come 
unto  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  ?"  The  old  gentleman  now  felt 
quite  excited,  and  replied  in  an  angry  tone,  "I'll  answer  you 
when  I  please — and  I  sha'nt  before."  "  Very  well,  Mr.  K.,"I 
replied,  "  this  is  all  the  answer  I  need ;  for  you  know,  sir,  that 
you  can  not  answer  it,  either  in  the  affirmative  or  negative,  and 
maintain  your  doctrine.  You  know,  sir,  that,  if  you  answer  it 
in  the  affirmative,  you  have  already  acknowledged  the  sove- 
reignty of  God — that  '  He  worketh  all  things  after  the  counsel 
of  his  own  will ;'  and  if  you  answer  in  the  negative,  you  know, 
sir,  that  you  flatly  contradict  the  word  of  God,  which  says,  ^  God, 
our  Savior,  will  have  all  men  to  be  saved,  and  come  unto  the 
knowledge  of  the  truth ;'  therefore,  go  which  way  you  will,  sir, 
you  are  down."  While  I  was  speaking,  the  old  gentleman  arose 
and  took  his  hat ;  and,  as  I  closed  my  remarks,  he  turned  to  me 
and  said,  "  I  am  very  sorry,  that  a  young  man  of  such  talents — 
so  capable  of  doing  good  in  the  world  as  you  are,  should  embrace 


132  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

such  an  error,  and  so  fatally  deceive  the  people  ;"  and,  without 
giving  me  a  chance  to  reply,  he  shot  out  of  the  door  with  all  the 
nimbleness  of  youth.  Thus  ended  the  controversy — thus  con- 
cluded this  threatened  overthrow  and  remediless  explosion,  that 
the  doctrine  of  God's  Universal  Grace,  in  the  hands  of  an  illit- 
erate stripling,  was  to  receive  from  an  aged  and  learned  Ortho- 
dox divine.  It  was  astonishing  to  witness  the  visible  manifesta- 
tion of  feelings  among  the  ditierent  individuals  composing  the 
congregation.  Mr.  Knapp's  special  friends,  (for  many  of  his 
church  were  in  attendance,  to  witness  the  overthrow  of  Univer- 
salism,)  immediately  followed  his  example;  and  left  the  house 
with  disappointment,  mortification,  and  chagrin  imprinted  deeply 
upon  their  countenances,  muttering  their  dissatisfaction  blended 
with  anathemas  on  my  poor  head ;  while  the  faces  of  another 
part  of  the  congregation  brightened  up  with  a  smile  of  hope,  that 
the  impervious  cloud  which  had  hitherto  obscured  their  prospects 
was  beginning  to  vanish,  before  the  light  of  a  truth  that  they 
had  never  before  seen.  The  hat  was  then  passed  round,  and 
a  liberal  contribution  taken  up.  It  was  the  first  I  had  received 
since  I  crossed  the  Hudson  river. 

It  was  curious,  indeed,  to'  witness  the  different  views  and 
feelings  which  agitated  the  minds  of  different  individuals  ;  and 
frequently  not  a  little  perplexing  and  vexatious  to  listen  to 
their  remarks,  and  meet  their  questions.  As  I  have  before  had 
occasion  to  remark,  curiosity,  for  a  short  season,  drew  together 
quite  a  numerous  congregation  in  almost  every  place  where 
appointments  were  first  made  ;  and  they  were  truly  mixed 
congregations — people  of  every  faith  and  no  faith,  grave  and 
frivolous,  sober  and  intemperate,  civil  and  profane — all  as- 
sembled together  to  see  a  being  that  could  hardly  be  considered 
as  belonging  to  the  human  species,  a  Universalist !  And  to 
hear  what  strange,  what  marvelous,  and  incredible  stories  he 
had  to  tell.  Some  thought  all  my  professed  faith  a  mere  hoax  ; 
that  my  proceedings  were  mere  matter  of  sport  ;  that  I  was 
only  trying  to  see  how  I  could  vex  and  discomfit  the  Orthodox ; 
and  to  them  it  was  a  scene  of  hilarity.  Others  supposed  me 
mad — that  I  was  a  pitiable  maniac,  and  knew  nothing  what  I 
said,  nor  considered  the  consequences  of  my  conduct  ;  while 
others  considered  me  honest  and  sincere  in  my  profession,  but 
woefully  deluded,  and  mourned  sincerely  over  my  fate,  and 
the  fate  of  those  who  were  deceived  by  my  arguments. — 
Some,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  although  they  knew  that  I  re- 
ceived little  or  nothing  for  my  services,  believed  or  pretended 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  133 

to  believe  me  hypocritical,  and  that  I  was  trying  to  deceive 
others  for  gain !  But  a  few,  among  the  many,  were  able  to 
discover  some  glimpses  of  the  divine  light,  which  led  them  to 
follow  on,  until  they  reached  the  desirable  goal  of  a  well- 
grounded  hope.  Among  the  first  class  named,  was  a  man  with 
whom  I  tarried  after  my  casual  discussion  with  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Knapp.  He  was  educated  in  the  Baptist  school — his  parents 
were  Baptists ;  but  he  had  paid  no  attention  to  the  subject  of 
religion.  He  thought,  no  doubt,  that  the  Baptists  were  right, 
if  there  were  any  truth  in  religion ;  but  to  him  it  was  all  a 
matter  of  indifference.  He  had  heard  of  my  meeting,  and  he 
attended  ;  and  it  was  a  source  of  great  hilarity.  He  felt  won- 
derfully pleased  with  my  success  in  the  discussion  with  Mr.  K., 
and  invited  me  home  with  him.  And  the  conversation  that  we 
had,  my  apparent  sincerity,  &c.,  led  him  to  think  it  possible 
that  I  was  sincere,  notwithstanding  it  seemed  very  strange  to 
him  ;  and  the  next  morning,  while  going  to  a  pasture  together 
to  catch  my  horse,  he  looked  at  me  with  great  earnestness  and 
said,  "^Mr.  Stacy,  do  you  really  believe  the  doctrine  that  you 
preach  ?"  I  was  amazed.  I  replied,  "Why,  Mr.  D.,  what,  in 
the  name  of  reason,  do  you  suppose  would  tempt  me  to  preach 
— solemnly  to  preach,  in  the  name  of  religion,  a  doctrine  I  do 
not  heartily  believe  ?  What  could  induce  me  to  expose  myself 
to  the  scorn  and  derision  of  the  popular  world — to  sacrifice 
every  earthly  consideration,  and  receive,  most  certainly,  the 
hatred  and  malice  of  the  bigoted  and  superstitious,  and  all  the 
persecution  they  are  able  to  inflict,  without  the  most  distant 
hope  of  temporal  gain  or  emolument !  Is  it  possible,  sir,  that 
you,  or  any  other  man,  can  suppose  me  insincere  ?"  My  re- 
ply seemed  to  strike  him  with  much  force.  He  began  to  look 
serious  and  thoughtful ;  and,  as  he  has  repeatedly  said  since, 
(for  he  has  often  referred  to  the  circumstance,)  it  made  him 
feel  ashamed.  But  he  did  not  absent  himself  from  my  meetings; 
he  attended  every  opportunity.  The  light  soon  began  to  beam 
upon  his  understanding,  and  effect  a  visible  reformation  ;  and 
he  faithfully  persevered  until  he  obtained  a  hope,  which  has 
been  "an  anchor  to-his  soul,"  through  all  the  labors  and  trials 
of  life;  which  has  borne  him  up  and  consoled  him  amid  the 
most  trying  bereavements,  in  the  death  of  a  beloved  and  very 
promising  son,  under  circumstances  the  most  afflicting,  just  as 
he  was  entering  upon  the  stage  of  manhood ;  and  more  recently, 
the  amiable  companion  of  his  youth.  Under  all  these  afflictions 
he  has  never  doubted,   but  has  found  an  abundant  source  of 


134  MEMOIRS   OF    THE 

consolation  in  a  well-established  faith  in  the  Gospel  of  Univer- 
sal Grace,  and  a  permanent  support  upon  a  well-grounded  hope 
of  a  glorious  immortality  for  the  whole  Adamic  family  ;  and  his 
head  is  now  blossoming  for  the  grave,  while  he  is  peacefully 
and  cheerfully  awaiting  his  entrance  into  that  blessed  mansion, 
where  his  beloved  ones  have  entered  before  him. 

In  a  very  short  time  after  the  interview  with  Rev.  Mr.  Knapp, 
I  had  a  request  to  make  an  appointment,  in  what  was  called 
Paine's  Settlement,  now  Hamilton  village.  This  was  then  the 
most  populous  part  of  the  town ;  and  the  Baptist  sect  predomina- 
ted. They  had,  for  those  times,  a  pretty  numerous  and  wealthy 
community,  and  had  built  them  a  very  good  meeting-house  ;  into 
this,  however,  I  was  not  permitted  to  enter ;  and,  indeed,  some 
vigorous  measures  were  taken  to  prevent  the  spread  of  my  per- 
nicious doctrine  among  them.  A  meeting  of  the  church  was 
called,  as  1  was  informed,  for  consultation  ;  and  they  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  themost  advisable  course  would  be,  to  have 
some  of  their  most  able  members  attend,  and  give  battle  to  the 
deceiver  on  the  spot.  And,  as  their  settled  preacher,  Elder  Hos- 
mer,  was  under  the  necessity  of  being  absent,  (or,  as  some  shrewd- 
ly suspected,  was  disposed  to  be  absent,)  it  was  agreed  th^t 
'Judge  Paine,  one  of  the  deacons  of  the  church,  and  one  of  their 
most  zealous  and  talented  members,  should  attend  and  oppose 
me.  All  this  arrangement,  however,  was  carefully  concealed 
from  me,  and  my  friends,  until  after  the  event. 

The  only  place  that  could  be  obtained  for  my  meeting  was  a 
ball-room,  in  a  public-house.  The  room  was  quite  large,  but  at 
an  early  hour  was  literally  filled ;  and  profound  attention  was 
given  to  the  new  and  strange  doctrine.  I  delivered  a  discourse 
from  1  John,  4 :  8.  My  general  practice  was,  to  give  liberty 
for  remarks,  or  questions,  at.the  close  of  a  discourse,  and  wait 
a  reasonable  time  for  those  who  wished  to  speak,  before  dismiss- 
ing the  congregation ;  but  as  no  one  manifested  a  disposition  to 
speak  at  this  time,  I  waited  but  a  few  minutes,  then  dismissed  the 
congrep-ation,  and  retired  to  the  sittino-.room  below.  I  had  been 
seated,  however,  not  five  minutes,  when  a  friend  came  to  me  and 
said,  "You  must  go  back  again,  for  Judge  Paine  is  tearing  your 
sermon  all  to  pieces."  I  arose  and  followed  him  ;  and  Mhen  we 
entered  the  chamber.  Judge  Paine  was  standing  nearly  in  the 
centre  of  the  room,  harangueing  the  people,  very  few  of  whom 
had  left,  in  a  very  loud  and  earnest  manner,  and  warning  them 
in  a  most  solemn  tone  to  beware  of  the  doctrine  they  had  beerii 
hearing — ^it  was  damnable  heresy,'  and  would  lull  them  into  car- 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  135 

nal  security,  and  lead  them  down  to  perdition  !  The  divine  law 
was  out  against  the  sinner — he  had  broken  the  law  of  God — it 
was  infinite  transgression — the  penalty  of  the  law  was  infinite, 
and  its  threatenings  endless  punishment ;  &c.  The  people  were 
standing  closely  round  the  Judge ;  and,  being  like  Zaccheus, 
short  in  stature,  I  could  not  see  him  ;  I  therefore  stepped  upon 
a  bench  where  I  could  have  a  fair  view  of  him,  and  listen  more 
understandingly  to  his  discourse.  I  had  been  in  this  position  but 
a  moment  before  his  eye  caught  me  ;  and,  in  an  instant,  his  voice 
faltered — he  lost  sight  of  his  subject — was  evidently  much  em- 
barrassed, and  began  to  stammer.  To  relieve  him  from  his  un- 
pleasant predicament,  I  said,  "  When  you  have  finished  your  re- 
marks. Judge,  I  should  like  to  ask  you  two  or. three  questions." 
"Well,"  he  replied,  "I  don't  know  but  I  am  through  now." 
"  Well,  sir,  do  you  expect  salvation  by  the  deeds  of  the  law  ?" 
He  replied,  "  No."  "  Then,  sir,  what  does  all  your  discourse 
amount  to'?"  "1  should  like  to  ask  you  a  question,"  he  said. 
"Well,  sir,  I  am  r^-ady  to  hear  it."  He  proceeded,  "You  have 
been  endeavoring  to  prove  to  us,  that  God  loves  all  the  works  of 
his  hands,  have  you  not  ?"  "  Yes,  sir."  "  Well,  the  question 
I  wish  to  propose  is,  does  God  love  the  devil  ?"  "It  is  truly  a 
singular  question,  sir,  but  I  am  prepared  to  ansv/er  it  directly  : 
if  the  devil  be  a  creature  of  God,  he  loves  him  ;  for  'God  is  love,' 
and  he  loves  all  that  he  has  made;  he  can  not  hate.  As  the 
author  of  Wisdom  says,  '  Thou  lovest  all  the  things  that  are,  and 
abhorrest  nothing  that  thou  hast  made  ;  for  never  wouldst  thou 
have  made  any  thing,  if  thou  hadst  hated  it.'  But  it  is  not  so 
much  my  purpose  to  speak  of  the  origin  of  the  devil,  as  his  end." 
"  His  end  !"  he  repeated,  "  you  do  not  believe  the  devil  will  have 
an  end,  do  you?"  "Yes,  certainly,  sir;  don't  you?"  "No,  I 
don't."  "  Do  you  believe  the  Bible,  sir  ?"  "  Yes."  "  Will  you 
believe  the  devil  will  be  destroyed,  if  I  will  prove  it  by  the  ex- 
press words  of  the  Bible?"  "Yes,  to  be  sure  I  will  ;  but  that 
you  can't  do."  "  Listen  then,  sir,  (I  quote  Hebrews  2:  14.) 
'  Forasmuch  then  as  the  children  are  partakers  of  flesh  and  blood, 
he  also  himself  likewise  took  part  of  the  same,  that  through 
death  he  might  destroy  him  that  hath  the  power  of  death,  tliat  is, 
the  devil ;^  and  not  only  so,  but  we  are  assured  that  he  will  de- 
stroy  all  his  works ;  for  John  says,  '  For  this  cause  was  the  Son 
of  God  manifested,  that  he  might  destroy  iheiuorks  of  the  devil.'^^ 
By  the  time  I  had  finished  these  quotations,  the  Judge  had  got 
his  hand  on  the  handle  of  the  door.  "  Stop,  Judge,"  said  I,  "do 
not  go  yet ;  hear  me  a  little  further,  if  you  please  ;  I  have  a  num. 


136  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

ber  more  passages  to  the  point,  I  wish  to  quote.''  "It  will  do 
no  good,"  said  he,  "  for  you  and  I  to  talk  any  more."'  '•  But 
please  answer  me  one  question,  at  least,  before  you  go.  Do  you 
believe  the  devil  will  be  destroyed  V  "  No,"  he  replied.  "  I 
was  afraid,  sir,  you  did  not  believe  the  Bible,  by  your  previous 
conversation."  By  the  time  I  had  finislied  the  last  remark,  the 
Judge  had  shut  the  door  after  himself  pretty  hard. 

These  brief,  casual  controversies  had  a  very  favorable  effect. 
They  produced  a  degree  of  excitement,  were  subjects  of  conver- 
sation  among  the  people  in  their  private  circles,  and  increased 
a  desire  to  hear,  and  an  inclination  to  investigate.  The  people 
]3egan  to  discover  that  the  arguments  of  their  spiritual  leaders, 
were  not  so  pungent  and  powerful,  in  support  of  their  theories, 
as  they  had  supposed  them  to  be,  when  opposed  by  an  illiterate 
stripling.  Individuals  who  had  been  habitually  taught  to  pay 
superior  reverence  to  the  clergy,  and  to  the  leaders  of  the  church, 
and  to  receive  their  ipse  dixit  on  spiritual  things  as  divine  oracles 
and  the  end  of  all  controversy,  began  to  assume  the  unwelcome 
boldness  to  ask  questions,  and  to  criticise  their  answers ;  and  to 
indulge  sometimes  in  witty  and  humorous  remarks.  I  must  be 
permitted,  in  illustration,  to  relate  a  short  anecdote. 

There  was  a  young  gentleman,  an  attorney-at-law,  who  had 
set  up  in  his  profession  in  the  village,  and  boarded  with  Judge 
Paine.  He,  among  others,  came  to  hear  the  new  doctrine  pro- 
claimed, and  was  a  hearer  of  the  discourse  between  the  Judge 
and  myself.  On  the  following  morning,  while  at  breakfast,  the 
young  attorney  addressed  the  Judge,  in  a  very  serious  manner, 
and  said,  "  Why,  Judge,  the}'  are  circulating  very  bad  stories 
about  you,  which  I  am  sorry  to  hear."  The  Judge,  with  much 
surprise,  replied,  "Circulating  bad  stories  about  me!  What  in 
the  world  are  they  ?"  "  Why,"  replied  the  lawyer,  "  the  report 
is  very  currently  passing  the  round,  that  you  have  become  a 
deist !"  "  That  I  have  become  a  deist !"  replied  the  Judge, 
"why,  this  appears  to  be  one  of  the  last  things  that  could  have 
been  thoughtiof  about  me  !  what  in  the  world  could  it  have  origi- 
nated  from  ?"  "  Why,"  replied  the  lawyer,  with  a  shrewd  look, 
"  they  say,  that  you  denied  the  Bible,  yesterday."  This  was 
sufficient — the  Judge  now  understood  him — dropped  his  head, 
and  said  no  more.  Nor  did  he  ever  after  that,  1  believe,  attempt 
to  hold  an  argument  with  the  most  feeble  advocate  of  Universal- 
ism.  I  afterward  enjoyed  a  long  and  friendly  acquaintance  with 
him,  though  I  do  not  recollect  seeing  him  again  at  my  meeting. 
Many  years  after,  when  in  conversation  with  a  gentleman  in 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  137 

regard  to  the  different  denominations  in  the  town,  the  Judge  re- 
marked, "  We  have  to  lament,  that  the  Universalist  society  in 
this  town,  comprises  men  of  the  brightest  talents,  of  the  greatest 
respectability,  and  moral  worth,  of  any  we  have  among  us." 

About  this  time,  two  gentlemen,  Col.  Cleveland  and  Dr.  A. 
B.  Sizer,  from  the  third  township,  (now  Madison,)  attended  my 
meeting  in  Hamilton,  and  requested  an  appointment  for  their 
place.  I  had  now  found  labor  enough  to  perform  in  the  vine- 
yard of  Christ  ;  and  I  had  zeal  enough  to  drive  me  ahead  with 
^all  my  might  ;  and,  blessed  be  God,  I  had  health  and  strength 
to  do  much,  in  my  own  way.  I  allowed  them  to  give  out  the 
appointment;  they  did  so,  and  had  sufficient  influence  to  get  the 
use  of  the  Baptist  meeting-house,  at  what  was  called  the  Indian 
Opening  ;  not  a  solitary  building  then  stood  where  the  flourish- 
ing village  of  Madison  has  since  grown  up.  This  meeting- 
house was  owned  by  a  Close-communion  Baptist  congregation, 
and  Elder  Salmon  Morton,  a  rigid  Calvinist,  and  a  violent  and 
obstinate  polemic,  was  their  preacher. 

Elder  Morton  was  alarmed,  and  came  forth  in  a  high  state  of 
perspiration,  with  his  coat  on  his  arm,  to  make  an  attack.  It 
was  on  tlie  19th  of  July ;  but  he  did  not  enter  the  house  until 
after  services  had  commenced ;  and  consequently,  I  had  no  in- 
troduction to  him,  till  after  meeting.  I  delivered  my  message, 
and  the  Elder  then  arose  and  merely  notified  the  congregation 
that  he  would  deliver  a  discourse  from  the  same  text  on  the  next 
Sabbath.  I  descended  from  the  desk,  was  introduced  to  the  El- 
der ;  and  we  walked  together  to  the  house  of  Dr.  Sizer,  in  com- 
pany with  a  number  of  other  gentlemen,  where  we  held  a  long, 
and  somewhat  spirited  conversation.  I  was  sitting  on  one 
side  of  the  room,  and  the  Elder  on  the  opposite  side,  in  prett}'' 
earnest  conversation,  while  a  death-like  silence  was  observed 
by  our  auditors  ;  when  the  Elder  suddenly  arose  and  stepped 
toward  me  with  his  fist  doubled.  As  he  came  toward  me,  I  in- 
voluntarily arose ;  for  what  purpose  I  knew  not,  for  I  neither 
felt  anger  nor  fear  ;  but  an  individual  whose  position  was  near- 
ly between  us,  said,  "Elder  Morton,  don't  get  mad."  The  Ei- 
der stopped,  as  suddenly  as  he  arose,  and  very  pleasantly  said, 
*'  I  am  thinking  of  the  passage  which  says,  '  Be  ye  angry,  and 
sin  not;'  "  and,  with  a  smile,  turned  and  again  took  his  chair. 
This  produced  quite  a  laugh  in  the  assembly ;  and  we  soon 
closed  our  debate,  and  parted  quite  amicably. 

But  the  Elder  could  not  withhold  his  rage  against  the  doctrine 
of  Universal  grace.     It  destroyed  all  his  ambitious  hopes  of  ex- 


138  MEMOIRS     OF    THE 

ultation  over  his  fallen  enemies,  all  the  exquisite  pleasure  he 
anticipated  in  beholding  their  endless  writhings  in  the  agonies  of 
unquenchable  fire  of  hell,  all  the  delightful  music  of  the  hope- 
less  groans  of  damned  spirits  I  He  inveighed  against  it  in  every 
discourse,  and  in  every  place,  with  all  the  bitterness  of  his 
Christian  (?)  soul;  and  his  common  appellation  for  it  was  "  Sta- 
cy's doctrine."  His  bitterness,  and  his  obstinacy  may  be  illus- 
trated, by  a  brief  anecdote.  He  had  been  preaching  one  day, 
with  all  his  eloquence  against  Stacy,  and  Stacy's  doctrine,  and 
most  solemnly  warning  the  people  against  giving  it  the  least 
countenance  ;  and  at  the  close  gave  liberty  for  remarks,  exhort- 
ations, &c.  An  individual  arose  and  requested  the  privilege  of 
asking  the  Elder  one  question.  He  remarked,  it  was  rather  an 
odd  question ;  but  he  wanted  the  Elder  should  allow  him  the 
privilege.  Leave  was  granted,  and  he  proceeded — "  You  have 
said  a  great  deal  to  day,  against  Stacy's  doctrine  ;  now.  Elder, 
if  you  should  hear  a  voice  from  heaven,  and  know  it  to  be  the 
voice  of  God,  which  should  tell  you  that  Stacy's  doctrine  was 
true,  and  vours  false,  would  you  believe  it  ?"  "  No  !"  said  the 
Elder. 

Shortly  after  this,  Elder  Morton  requested  my  friends  in  Mad- 
ison to  invite  me  to  hold  a  meeting  with  him,  and  preach  each 
a  discourse  from  the  same  text.  They  informed  me  of  it  ;  and, 
in  passing  the  Elder's  house,  not  many  days  afterwards,  I  called 
on  him,  informed  him  of  what  I  had  heard,  and  asked  him  if  it 
was  correct  ?  He  said  it  was — he  wished  to  have  such  a  meeting. 
A\  ell,  I  said,  it  will  be  quite  agreeable  to  me  ;  and  you  may 
choose  the  text  and  preach  first,  or  I  will  choose  the  text  and  de- 
liver the  first  discourse,  as  shall  best  accommodate  your  feelings. 
'•  Oh,"  he  said,  "  I  wish  to  choose  the  text."  Very  well,  you 
will  then  deliver  the  first  discourse,  and  give  me  the  privilege  of 
closing.  Well — he  would  do  that  ;  and  named  the  text.  (Mark 
3:19.)  I  told  him,  I  liked  the  text  well ;  and  we  agreed  on  a 
time  and  place  for  the  meeting.  It  was  to  be  holden  on  Wednes- 
day, 13th  November,  and  at  the  Presbyterian  meeting-house,  in 
Madison,  if  that  could  be  obtained.  The  reason  of  its  being  put 
off"  so  long  was,  the  Elder  wished  for  sufficient  time  to  give  very 
general  notice  ;  for  he  anticipated  giving  Universalism  its  death 
blow  ;  and  I  had  to  make  a  journey  to  New  England,  in  Septem- 
ber, to  attend  the  General  Convention  ;  so  the  meeting  was  ne- 
cessarily deferred  until  after  my  return. 

A  gentleman  from  Whitestown,  attended  meeting  one  Sunday, 
in  Hamilton,  and  made  a  very  earnest  request  for  an  appoint- 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  130 

ment  in  the  town  of  his  residence  ;  assuring  me,  that  he  could 
procure  a  large  congregation  ;  among  whom  I  would  find  quite 
a  number  of  respectable  and  influential  gentlemen,  already  well 
established  in  the  faith.      I  gave  him  an  appointment,  and  ac- 
cordingly, on  the  20th  of  August,  1805,  delivered  my  first  mes- 
sage in  that  town.     No  meeting-house  could  be  procured,  and 
no  school-house    could   hold   the  congregation  that  assembled. 
We   were,   therefore,  compelled  to  occupy  a  barn ;  and  it  was 
literally  filled.     As  my  friend  had  informed  me,  there  was  a 
much  larger  number  than  I  had  ever  found  before  in  any  one 
place,  in  this  country,  who  had  already  embraced  the  true  Gos- 
pel ;  and  many  more,  who  were  seriously  disposed  to  inquire. 
They  manifested  a  strong  desire  to  have  stated  preaching ;  and 
immediately  adopted  measures  for  it,  by  circulating  a  subscrip- 
tion paper  for  its  support.     I  left  with  tliem  another  appointment ; 
and  on  my  second  visit  they  organized  a  society,  which,  if  my 
memory  will  serve  me,  consisted  of  between  thirty  and  forty 
male  members  ;  all,  I  think,  heads  of  families.     This  was  the 
second  society  organized  in  Central  New  York.     But  the  mem- 
hers  were  widely  scattered  over  a  large  territory,  comprising  the  • 
towns  of  Whitestown,    Westmorelan'd,  Clinton,  New  Hartford, 
Utica,  Paris,  Deerfield,  and  Litchfield,  Avhere  now  exist  a  num-  - 
her  of  societies,  and  where  no  less  than  five  Universalist  meet- 
ing-houses have  since  been  erected. 

It  was  certainly  a  source  of  amusement,  if  not  of  instruction, 
to  witness  the  varied  feelings  manifested  by  different  individuals 
composing  a  congregation,  on  the  introduction  of  the  doctrine 
into  any  place  ;  to  mark  the  effect  of  educational  prejudices,  and 
the  fears    of   any  innovation  upon  their   religious  creeds  and 
practices.     In  Whitestown,  as  in  alm.ost  all  other  places,  the  first 
congregation  was  composed  of  all  classes  and  all  kinds  of  peo- 
ple, and  of  all  religious  denominations ;  and  among  them  was 
an  old  sedate  professor  of  the  Presbyterian  faith,  by  the  name  of 
Poly  carp  us  Smith.     After  the  close  of  meeting,  a  brother-in-law 
of  his,  a  Mr.  Dewey,  addressed  him  among  a  number  of  by- 
standers in  a  familiar  manner.     "Well,  uncle  Carp.,  what  dp 
you  think  of  such  preaching  as  this  ?"     "  What  do  I  think  ?" 
said  the  old  gentleman,   "  Why,  it  beats  all !     I  never  heard 
such  a  sermon  before,  in  all  my  life — I  never  heard  so  much 
Bible  in  one  discourse  before.     It  is  every  word  true— it  must 
be  true,  for  it  is  all  Bible."     And  then,  looking  round  upon  the 
people,  he  added,  "  But  it  won't  do  to  believe  it— don't  one  of 
you  believe  it,  for  your  souls !" 


140  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

I  had  now  a  regular  circuit  established  through  the  towns  of 
Whitestown,  Sangerfield,  Brookfield,  Hamilton  and  Madison, 
with  regular  appointments  in  each  place.  But  I  diverged  to  the 
right,  and  to  the  left,  as  I  received  calls  to  deliver  lectures,  and 
generally  delivered  several  discourses  in  the  course  of  the  week, 
besides  my  Sunday  appointments. 

An  incident  occurred  in  the  course  of  this  summer,  which  I 
must  not  omit,  as  it  was  the  means  of  producing  a  book,  some 
few  years  afterwards  ;  and  it  is  quite  probable  that  some  people 
were  surprised  that  it  received  no  attention  from  me  at  the  time  ; 
though  none  disapproved  of  my  course  in  respect  to  it,  who  were 
acquainted  with  the  author,  and  the  particular  circumstances 
that  gave  rise  to  it. 

There  was  an  individual  residing  in  the  town  of  Sangerfield 
by  the  name  of  Joseph  Tenney,  a  very  restless  and  troublesome 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  a  great  egotist  and  pedant, 
who  considered  himself  one  of  the  most  profound  controversial- 
ists of  the  age  ;  and  who  was  so  bigoted,  and  so  obstinate  in  his 
own  way,  that  he  kept  the  church  to  which  he  belonged  in  con- 
stant turmoil  so  long  as  they  suffered  him  to  hold  a  standing 
within  its  pale.  This  man  sent  word  to  me,  by  a  friend,  that  he 
wished  the  privilege  of  attending  a  meeting  of  mine,  to  take 
notes  of  my  discourse,  and  reply  to  it.  I  told  my  friend,  that 
Mr.  Tenney,  or  any  other  man,  had  always  an  unquestionable 
right  to  attend  any  meeting  of  mine  ;  and,  so  far  from  objecting 
to  his  taking  notes,  I  would  rather  wish  all  my  hearers  to  take 
notes,  and  carefully  examine  the  doctrine  I  advance,  comparing 
it  with  the  standard  of  divine  truth,  and  thereby  test  its  sound- 
ness; and  I  had  no  possible  objection  to  Mr.  T.  replying  to 
my  discourse,  if  he  felt  disposed  so  to  do.  "But,"  said  I,  "my 
manner  of  speaking  is  extemporaneous,  and  my  delivery  very 
rapid  ;  and  I  am  inclined  to  think  Mr.  T.  is  hardly  expert  enough 
as  a  penman  so  keep  up  with  me  ;  however,  he  may  try,  if  he 
choose.  This  was  all  the  arrangement  we  ever  made.  I  had 
never  yet  seen  Mr.  T.,  but  had  heard  so  much  of  him,  that  I 
felt  no  inclination  to  engage  in  a  discussion  with  him  in  any 
form.  A  few  weeks  after  this,  I  delivered  a  lecture  in  a  neigh- 
borhood where  I  was  in  the  practice  of  preaching  occasionally ; 
and  Mr.  T.,  with  several  of  his  brethren,  came  prepared  with 
pen  and  paper,  to  take  notes.  They  all,  I  believe,  took  down 
the  text ;  and  Mr.  T.  continued  to  write  for  ten  miimtes,  per- 
haps,  and  then  laid  down  his  pen,  which  he  never  after  resumed, 
except  to  note  some  passage  of  Scripture  that  I  quoted.     At  the 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  141 

close  of  my  discourse,  he  requested  to  be  allowed  to  ask  me  sev- 
eral questions,  to  which  I  acceded  ;  and  I  answered  them  as 
briefly  and  as  plainly  as  I  could.  He  then  wanted  I  should 
agree  on  a  time  when  I  would  attend  and  hear  a  reply.  I  told 
him  I  was  quite  indifferent  about  hearing  a  reply — that  he  had  a 
right  to  reply,  if  so  disposed,  and  to  reply  in  the  presence  of  as 
many  as  he  could  induce  to  attend — that  1  had  as  many  engage- 
ments as  I  could  well  attend  to,  and  it  would  be  difficult  to  fix 
on  a  time  when  I  could  wait  on  him,  consistently  with  my  pre- 
sent engagements.  "  But,"  said  I,  "  you  may  appoint  your  own 
time  and  place  ;  and  I  will  attend  provided  other  engagements 
do  not  interfere.  But  it  is  of  little  consequence  whether  I  attend 
or  not ;  as  it  is  more  than  probable  I  shall  never  attempt  to  offer 
a  rejoinder.  The  people  have  heard  what  I  have  said,  and  now 
I  am  quite  willing  that  they  should  hear  what  you  have  to  say 
in  reply ;  and  then  judge  for  themselves,  without  another  word 
from  me  on  the  subject."  He  then  appointed  a  time  to  deliver 
his  discourse,  in  the  Baptist  meeting-house  in  the  village.  When 
the  time  arrived,  it  so  happened  I  had  a  leisure  day,  but  had 
previously  taken  up  my  residence  in  the  town  of  Brookfield,  and 
was  boarding  with  Col.  N.  Hasket,  about  seven  miles  distant 
from  the  place  of  appointment ;  I,  however,  persuaded  tho  Colo- 
nel to  go  with  me,  and  we  rode  over.  Before  reaching  the  place, 
we  met  Col.  Norton,  one  of  the  deacons  of  the  Bav)tist  church  in 
Sangerfield,  with  whom  I  had  previously  enjoyed  some  friendly 
acquaintance.  He  said  to  me,  "  Are  you  going  to  attend  Joe 
Tenney's  meeting  ?"  "  Yes,  sir."  "  Well,"  he  replied,  "  1  would 
not  go ;  there  is  no  such  thing  as  holding  a  fair  argument  with 
him.  If  you  begin  you  will  never  find  a  stopping-place  ;  and 
he  will  abuse  you  in  every  shape  he  possibly  can.  I  would 
have  nothing  to  do  with  him."  He  told  me  an  anecdote  about 
him :  he  had  been  trying  hard  to  get  into  a  controversy  with 
the  Baptists,  on  the  subject  of  baptism ;  indeed  they  had  some 
controversy  ;  but  the  Baptists  becoming  disgusted  with  the  course 
he  took,  declined  taking  any  farther  notice  of  him.  On  a  cer- 
tain day,  however,  when  several  were  to  be  baptized,  Mr.  T., 
having  prepared  a  lengthy  polemical  dissertation  on  the  subject, 
came,  with  paper  in  hand,  and  placed  himself  on  a  bridge,  in  a 
conspicuous  situation  ;  and  as  soon  as  the  ceremony  closed,  he 
called  the  attention  of  the  congregation,  and  began  reading  ; 
and  so  intent  was  he  in  reading  his  production,  that  he  did  not 
notice  the  situation  ©f  the  congregation,  until  every  soul  had  left 
the  ground  but  Eldfr  Butler,  who  had  been  officiating,  and  who 


142  MEMOIRS   OF    THE 

was  then  pastor  of  the  church ;  but  he  stood  alone,  listening 
with  profound  attention  to  Mr.  T.'s  arguments.  The  fact  was, 
people  had  no  confidence  in  Mr.  T.,  and  paid  no  attention  to  his 
reading,  but  moved  off  with  as  much  unconcern  as  though  no- 
thing was  being  said.  When  Mr.  T.  looked  up,  and  saw  the  El- 
der standing  alone,  and  the  people  all  off,  or  moving  off  in  differ- 
ent directions,  he  remarked,  "Well,  I  don't  know  but  I  may  as 
well  stop  readinn;,  for  the  people  are  gone."  "  Never  mind,  Mr. 
T."  said  the  Elder,  "  read  on,  I'll  hear  you."  But  Mr.  T.  fold- 
ed up  his  paper,  and  walked  off. 

I  thanked  the  Deacon  for  his  counsel — told  him  J  should  have 
no  controversy  with  Mr.  T.;  I  should  never  attempt  to  reply  to 
him  ;  but  as  I  had  promised  to  attend  and  hear  him,  if  I  could 
make  it  convenient,  I  felt  it  my  duty  to  be  present.     We  called 
on  Esq.  Dyer,  who  resided  near  the  meeting-house,  who  also 
gave  me  the  same  advice  as  Deacon  Norton,  and  insisted  on  it, 
that  my  best  course  would  be  not  to  go  to  the  house  at  all ;  and  the 
Esquire  himself  actually  refused  to  go  with  us.     However,  at 
S  late  hour,  we  saw  Mr.  T.  and  a  few  others  enter  the  house, 
and  the  Col.  and  I  walked  over.     There  were  probably  not  twen- 
ty persons  assembled,  notwithstanding  Mr.  T.  had  used  all  his 
influence  to  get  a  great  congregation.     He  began  reading  his  dis- 
course, and  continued  until  nea  might ;  when  Col.  H.  whispered 
and  said,  "  We  must  be  going,  or  we  shall  have  to  be  out  in  the 
dark."     And  it  was  evident  Mr.  T.  had  not  read  half  he  had 
got  written,  for  he  had  not  yet  mentioned  my  discourse,  nor  allu- 
ded to  it.     In  his  printed  book,  he  has  reversed  the  order  of  his 
discourse.       At  this  meeting  ^  he  began    with  an    attempt  at  a 
general  refutation  of  the  doctrine  of  Universalism,  and  criticised 
upon  such  authors  as  he  had  read  in  defense  of  it;  and  proba- 
bly was  reserving  his  strictures  on  my  discourse  to  close  up  with. 
He  commented  upon  Winchester,  upon  Huntington,  and  upon 
Bishop  Newton,  &c.      The  Colonel    growing  very  impatient, 
whispered  to  me  a  second  time,  and  said,  "  I  must  go  soon."     I 
then  arose,  and  observed  to  Mr.  T.,  that  I  had  made  it  conve- 
nient to  attend ;  that  we  came  in  season,  and  waited  more  than 
one  hour  after  the  appointed  time  before  he  arrived  :  that  it  was 
now  drawing  near  night,  and  I  was  under  necessity  of  returning 
to  Brookfield  that  evening  ;  and,  moreover,  it  appeared  probable 
from  the  quantity  of  matter  he  seemed  to  have  before  him,  that 
he  would  not  be  able  to  finish  the  reading  of  it  before  dark  ;  and 
as  he  had  not  yet  touched  my  discourse,  L  could  feel  under  no 
obligation  to  remain  longer ;  and,  besides,%  would  be  of  no  con- 


LIFE    OF    HEV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  143 

sequence,  as  T  should  never  attempt  to  reply  to  him  ;  ho  might, 
therefore,  as  well  read  it  to  the  people  in  my  al^sence,  as  in  my 
presence.  But  I  thought  it  proper  to  make  these  remarks  before 
I  withdrew.  He  proposed  then  to  adjourn;  and  appoint  an- 
other day  to  fmish  it,  provided  I  would  name  a  time  when  I  could 
attend.  I  told  him,  I  could  not ;  but  would  say,  as  before,  that 
he  might  appoint  his  own  time,  and  if  I  was  at  leisure,  I  would 
attend.  But,  I  said,  if  the  people  here  are  willing  to  stay,  per- 
haps you  may  as  well  finish  now.  But,  how  could  he  deter- 
mine whether  the  people  would  stay  or  not  ?  Why  put  it  to 
vote — request  those  who  wish  the  meeting  now  to  close,  to  rise. 
He  did  so,  and  every  soul  in  the  house  rose  up ;  but  before  the 
congregation  separated,  he  named  another  day  to  meet  and  finish 
his  discourse.  It  was  not  convenient  for  me  to  attend  his  next 
meeting;  nor  do  I  know  who  did  attend,  or  whether  a  soul  was 
present.  I  heard  no  more  about  it  for  several  years ;  not  until 
some  person  put  into  my  hand  a  book  published  by  Joseph  Ten- 
ney,  purporting  to  be  the  substance  of  a  discourse  delivered  by 
myself,  together  with  a  reply,  and  a  refutation  of  the  doctrine  of 
Universal  Salvation.  I  read  it,  and  found  it  to  contain  a  garbled 
misrepresentation  of  my  discourse,  as  well  as  an  unfair  and  un- 
candid  representation  of  the  authors  he  named  ;  and  his  argu- 
ments against  the  doctrine,  I  considered  unworthy  of  notice. 
Some  of  my  friends  urged  me  to  reply.  But  1  had  made  up  my 
mind  never  to  enter  into  any  controversy  with  Mr.  T.,  in  any 
shape  whatever ;  and  I  felt  confident  that  the  influence  of  the 
little  book  would  never,  for  a  moment,  retard  the  progress  of  di- 
vine truth.  Nor  did  it,  as  far  as  my  knowledge  extends;  and 
certainly  the  whole  transaction,  in  the  region  where  it  took  place, 
was  altogether  favorable  to  the  cause. 

During  this  summer,  I  traveled  very  considerably,  preached 
on  Sundays,  and  lectured  often  on  week-days,  in  the  towns  of 
Hartwick,  Otsego,  Burlington,  Hamilton,  Brookfield,  Madison, 
Whitestown,  Westmoreland,  and  Deerfield ;  and  two  very  re- 
spectable societies  were  organized,  one  in  Whitestown,  already 
mentioned,  and  one  in  Hamilton,  v/hich  have  now  existed  for 
above  forty  years.  The  society  in  Whitestown,  however, 
which  for  many  years  past  has  been  known  as  the  New  Hart- 
ford society,  and  wihich  built  the  first  Universalist  meeting- 
house, west  of  the  Hudson  river,  has  become  nearly  extinct  by 
being  divided  into  several  others.  Certainly  no  less  than 
four  othersj  or  at  least  parts  of  others,  have  grown  out  of  it, 
viz.:  Utica,  Clinton,  Marshal,  and  Litchfield.     Numbers  had 


144  MEMOIRS  'OF    THE 

been  converted  from  the  Orthodox  faith,  (erroneously  so  called,) 
whose  main  di*stinguishing-point  of  doctrine  is  the  dogma  of 
endless  punishment,  to  the  soul-cheering  doctrine  of  Universal 
Reconciliation  and  Salvation.  Several  excommunications 
from  Baptist  and  Presbyterian  churches  had  already  taken 
place  ;  for  the  heresy  of  Universalism  ;  and  numbers,  wlio 
had  never  before  found  a  religious  home,  united  with  us  ;  and 
for  strength  of  mind,  respectability  of  character  and  moral 
worth,  our  societies  would  lose  nothing  in  comparison  with  any 
other  societies,  or  churches,  of  any  denomination  ;  nor  did  they 
lack  for  zeal  in  Christian  order,  and  social  worship.  Both  the 
societies,  in  Whitestown  and  Hamilton,  or  a  good  proportion  of 
their  members,  manifested  a  strong  desire  to  come  into  church 
order  and  fellowship,  and  to  enjoy  the  privileges  of  the  Chris- 
tian ordinances  ;  which  I  strongly  recommended  ;  and  do  still 
recommend,  as  a  most  efficient  means  of  improvement  and 
growth  in  divine  life.  I  had  not  received  ordination,  and. 
therefore,  did  not  consider  myself  legally  nor  properly  author- 
ized to  take  the  oversight  of  a  Christian  church,  or  administer 
its  ordinances.  The  societies  in  Whitestown  and  Hamilton  de- 
sired to  be  adopted  into  the  young  but  growing  family  of  Uni- 
versalism ;  and  therefore  prepared  letters  to  the  General  Con- 
vention of  Universalists  in  New  England,  requesting  the  fel- 
lowship of  that  body  ;  and  earnestly  recommended  me  as  a  suit- 
able candidate,  and  requested  my  ordination  to  the  evangelic 
work  of  the  ministry. 


CHAPTER  VII, 


Delegates  from  the  State  of  New  York  attend  the  convention — Visit  to  Wil- 
mington— Committee  appointed  to  assist  in  organizing  an  Association  in  the 
State  of  New  York— Father  Z.  Streeter— Ordination— Visit  to  New  Salem 
— Return  to  New  York — Churches  organized  in  Whitestown  and  Hamilton 
— Persecution  — A  vile  slander— Elder  Joy  Handy— Extract  of  a  letter  from 
Elder  S.  King— A  preaching  race — Author  marries— Brief  account  of  his 
family — Removes  to  Brookfield,  New  York — Incident  on  the  journey— Loses 
his  horse — Slender  remuneration  for  ministerial  labors— Impossibility  of  reg- 
ular salary — Author's  established  principles  on  the  subject  of  salary. 

Early  in  the  month  of  September,  Mr.  Wooley  and  I,  agree- 
ably  to  an  appointment  at  the  conference  in  July,  started  on  our 
mission.  We  had  now  three  societies  to  represent — he  the  one 
in  Hartwick  and  vicinity,  and  I  those  in  Whitestown  and  Ham- 
ilton. W^e  presented  our  letters  and  credentials ;  and  the  report 
we  were  enabled  to  give  of  the  success  of  our  labors,  the  pros- 
perity of  the  cause,  and  the  promising  aspect  of  the  condition  of 
things  in  the  State  of  New  York,  was  truly  a  subject  of  great 
joy  to  the  hearts  of  the  faithful  who  had  assembled  at  our  happy 
annual  convocation,  and  readily  obtained  a  favorable  response  to 
our  request  for  assistance  to  organize  an  Association  in  the  State 
of  New  York.  A  committee  of  three  were  appointed  ;  and,  at 
my  request,  Mr.  H.  Ballou  stood  at  the  head  ;  Mr.  William  Far- 
well  and  Mr.  Joshua  Flagg  were  associated  \vith  him. 

The  convention  met  this  year  in  Westmoreland,  New  Hamp- 
shire. On  my  way  thither  I  passed  through^  Wilmington,  Ver- 
mont, called  on  my  old  friend,  Mr.  Foster,  and  held  a  meeting 
with  the  few  brethren  on  Sunday ;  and  Mr.  F.  accompanied  me 
to  the  convention.  As  we  rode  up  to  the  place  of  appointment, 
with  my  heart  and  my  eyes  full,  the  first  person  I  saw,  be- 
fore I  had  dismounted  from  my  horse,  was  the  venerable  father 
in  Israel,  Zebulon  Streeter,  who  exclaimed  with  a  smile,  "  There 
comes  my  boy  !"  I  leaped  from  my  horse,  and  Oh  !  with  what 
J 


146      .  MEMOIRS   OF   THE 

heart-felt  joy  and  affection  did  1  grasp  the  extended  hand  of  this 
aged  saint.  It  was  the  last  time  1  ever  met  him.  And  since 
that  time  I  have  never  been  able  to  attend  but  four  sessions  of  that 
convention.  Previously,  my  joy  was  so  full  in  anticipation  of 
meeting  my  beloved  brethren  again,  in  whose  hearts  1  could  well 
believe  reigned  triumphantly  the  spirit  of  Christian  love,  and  the 
soothing  influences  of  whose  sympathy  I  could  so  fully  realize, 
after  having,  alone  and  at  so  great  a  distance,  for  a  whole  sea- 
son experienced  the  unmerciful  buffetings  of  the  storms  and 
tempests  of  sectarian  v/rath,  that  the  approaching  meeting  causeil 
me  fo  weep  for  joy. 

The  letters  from  the  societies  which  I  had  been  instrumental 
in  organizing,  were  presented,  and  their  petitions  readily  granted; 
the  societies  were  received  into  fellov/ship,  and  I  received  ordi- 
nation.  Mr.  C.  G.  Person  was  ordained  at  the  same  time  ;  and 
by  our  request,  Hosea  Ballou  delivered  the  sermon  on  the  occa- 
sion. He  chose  for  a  text,  Mark,  16  :  15,  16.  Mr.  Joab  Young 
made  the  consecrating  prayer,  Father  Streeter  presented  the  holy 
Bible  and  administered  the  charge,  and  Mr.  Kneeland,  if  I  mis- 
take not,  gave  the  right  hand  of  fellowship.  This  was  the  first 
and  the  last  time  I  ever  suffered  myself  to  pass  through  the  so- 
lemnities of  ordination.  To  me  it  was  a  most  imposing,  and 
deeply  affecting  scene — too  solemn  to  be  often  and  triflingly  re- 
peated. Once  being  solemnly  set  apart  and  consecrated  to  the 
work  of  the  ministry,  by  prayer,  "  and  the  laying  on  the  hands 
of  the  presbytery,"  appears  to  me  quite  sufficient.  To  call  for 
the  solemnities  of  ordination  every  time  a  preacher  changes  his 
place  of  residence,  or  his  pastoral  charge,  has  always  appeared 
to  me  as  trifling  with  one  of  the  most  sacred  institutions  of  the 
Christian  church. 

After  the  close  of  the  convention,  I  v>^ent  to  New  Salem,  Mas- 
sachusetts, made  my  parents  a  short  visit,  preached  tvro  Sundays 
in  that  town,  and  in  October  I  returned  to  New  York,  and  re- 
sumed my  labors  on  the  circuit  1  had  previously  established. 
Soon  after  my  return,  the  brethren  both  in  Whitestown  and  Ham- 
ilton adopted  measures,  in  accordance  with  their  previously  ex- 
pressed desires,  to  organize  into  a  church  relation.  We  adopted 
the  profession  of  faith  sanctioned  by  the  General  Convention ; 
and  I  drew  up  a  disciplinary  constitution,  and  a  form  of  cove- 
nant, to  which  the  members  subscribed,  and  which,  I  believe,  the 
church  in  Hamilton  still  retains  ;  although  they  have  seen  cause 
to  amend  the  confession  of  faith,  or  rather  to  expunge  it,  and  sub- 
stitute the  apostolic  confession  alone — "  I  believe  that  Jesus  Christ 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  147 

is  the  Son  of  God" — as  abundantly  explicit  and  sufficient ;  leav- 
ing the  mind  free  and  untrammeled  for  investigation  and  growth 
in  divine  knowledge.  A  respectable  number,  (I  may  say,  be- 
tween twenty  and  thirty  in  each  place,)  subscribed  to  the  cove- 
nant, and  among  them  several  females,  who,  even  at  that  early 
day,  had  the  faith  and  the  confidence  to  publicly  own  the  despised 
name  of  UniversaUsf,  and  subscribe  the  covenant,  in  defiance  of 
the  popular  odium  which  a  vain  or  a  superstitious  world  endea- 
vored to  heap  upon  it ;  and  we  found  ourselves  abundantly  re- 
freshed and  strengthened  in  attending  to  the  ordinances  of  the 
Christian  institution.  I  was  now  enabled  to  extend  my  labors 
still  farther,  and  also  into  intermediate  places  where  I  had  not 
heretofore  been  able  to  find  entrance,  lecturing,  and  occasionally 
preaching,  that  fall,  in  Utica,  Paris,  Bridgewater,  Westmoreland, 
and  Springfield ;  and,  while  on  a  visit  to  my  brother,  I  also  had 
opportunity  to  deliver  one  discourse  in  the  town  of  Canajoharie. 
Fully  aware,  when  I  entered  upon  the  ministry,  of  the  unpop- 
ularity of  the  doctrine  of  God's  Universal  Grace,  and  the  array 
ef  prejudice  it  was  destined  to  encounter,  and  the  low  and  vile 
means  which  ever  have  been  and  would  continue  to  be  resorted 
to,  to  oppose  it,  by  vilification,  slander,  sneers,  and  all  the  mea- 
sures of  persecution  which  the  equitatable  laws  of  our  blessed 
,  country  would  admit  of — I  solemnly  resolved,  God  being  my 
helper,  so  to  steer  my  course  through  the  mists,  and  clouds,  and 
storms  that  would  hover  over  and  around  my  way,  as  never 
to  lose  sight  of  my  polar  star,  nor  be  put  off  iiiy  course ;  nor  be 
ever  under  the  necessity  of  paying  any  attention  to  the  stories 
and  slanders  that  malicious  and  vituperative  tongues  should  in- 
dulge in  fabricating  and  retailing  respecting  me ;  and  thus  far 
I  had  been  successful.  I  had  been  called  a  fool,  a  hypocrite,  an 
infidel,  trying  to  deceive  mankind  in  the  name  of  religion,  and 
thereby  to  disturb  and  break  up  churches.  I  had  been  called  a 
low-bred,  ignorant  blockhead,  who  knew  not  what  I  was  about — 
a  knave,  a  witty,  cunning  knave,  just  such  as  the  devil  always 
chose  to  build  up  his  cause,  (for  sectarians  have  always  accord- 
ed to  him  more  wisdom  than  they  have  to  the  Lord,  in  the  choice 
of  his  servants,)  and  they  suspected,  bye-and-bye,  I  would  commit 
some  crime  that  would  undeceive  the  people  in  regard  to  my  real 
character ;  and  they  were  not  slow  in  praying  for  it.  Elder 
Morton,  whom  I  have  had  occasion  to  name  already,  and  whom 
I  must  notice  again,  said  he  "  was  never  glad  of  hearing  of  any 
man  getting  diunk  but  once ;  but  when  Stacy  got  drunk,  I  was 
heartily  glad  of  it."  But  none  of  these  things  moved  me.  When 


148  ME3I0IKS   OF    THE    . 

my  friends  mentionedthem  to  me,  I  would  generally  reply,  "If 
they  have  called  the  Master  of  the  house  'Beelzebub,'  they  will, 
of  course,  call  those  of  his  household  as  ignominious  names.  If 
you  are  not  already  satisfied  about  my  character,  watch  me  close- 
ly, and  see  if  these  things  be  so.  1  shall  take  no  notice  of  them 
—if  I  can  not  outlive  them,  I  must  fall  under  them."  But  now 
I  was  destined  to  encounter  a  more  formidable  and  aggravating 
report. 

Shortly  after  my  return  from  New  England,  I  discovered  a 
change  of  demeanor  among  some  of  my  friends.  They  did  not 
meet  me  with  their  wonted  cheerfulness,  nor  give  me  their  hands 
so  warmly  as  formerly;  nor  so  heartily  and  urgently  invite  me 
to  their  houses  ;  but  seemed  to  manifest  an  unusual  shyness,  and 
a  suspicious  look.  I  was  never  of  a  jealous  temperament,  and 
was  resolved  not  to  indulge  any  unfounded  suspicion  ;  it  might " 
have  no  meaning  on  their  part — might  all  originate  in  my  own 
feelings ;  I  would,  therefore,  try  to  regulate  my  own  conduct 
properly,  and  maintain  my  usual  friendly  feelings  toward  them, 
use  the  same  freedom  I  had  always  done,  and  wait  the  event. 
A  few  weeks  passed  in  this  way,  when  a  good  old  brother,  who 
was  a  brother  indeed,  and  whose  name  I  can  never  repeat  with- 
out feelings  of  profound  gratitude,  Benjamin  Stetson,  of  Sanger- 
field,  was  kind  enough  to  undeceive  me  and  put  me  in  a  way  to 
restore  confidence.  He  asked  me,  if  I  did  not  discover  that  there 
was  a  difference  in  the  appearance  and  conduct  of  some  of  my 
former  friends,  and  an  unusual  shyness  toward  me  ?  I  told  him 
that  I  sometimes  thought  1  did  ;  but  as  I  was  unwilling  to  indulge 
any  jealousy,  I  had  been  inclined  to  impute  it  all  to  my  own  dis- 
tempered imagination.  "No,'"' said  he,  "it  is  a  reality — they 
are  afraid  of  you  ;  there  is  a  very  bad  story  in  circulation  about 
you  ;  and  I  have  been  resolved  to  tell  you  of  it,  the  first  oppor- 
tunity I  could  find.  If  it  be  true,  you  ought  not  to  attempt  to 
preach  ;  and  if  it  be  false,  you  ought  to  have  an  opportunity  to 
clear  yourself,  and  chastise  your  calumniators."  I  thanked  him 
most  heartily ;  for  I  felt  a  sudden  and  great  relief,  even  before 
he  told  me  the  substance  of  the  stoiy.  But  he  continued  :.  "  The 
story  is  this.  It  is  reported  that  you  were  sent  for,  .while  board- 
ing in  Sangerfield,  to  attend  a  funeral  in  Brookfield ;  that  the 
messenger,  on  arriving  at  your  usual  place  of  boarding,  did  not 
find  you  at  the  house,  but  was  informed  that  you  were  at  a  neigh- 
boring house  ;  that  he  Avent  where  he  was  directed,  and  found 
you  at  the  card-table,  playing  cards  with  several  others.  He 
felt  astonished,  and  so  nearlv  confounded  at  the  event,  that  he 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL     STACY.  149 

seriously  thought  of  going  away  without  doing  his  errand ;  be- 
lieving that  the  people  who  sent  him  would  hardly  be  willing  that 
a  gamblier  should  officiate  on  the  mournful  occasion,  knowing 
him  to  be  such;  but,  after  a  little  reflection,  he  concluded  to  do 
his  errand,  and  say  nothing  about  it  until  after  the  funeral.  He 
accordingly  informed  you  what  he  came  for,  and  you  readily 
agreed  to  go ;  but  you  noticed  his  embarrassment,  and  addressed 
him  in  the  following  language — '  I  suppose,  sir,  you  are  sur- 
prised to  see  me  playing  cards ;  you,  probably,  dare  not  play — 
you  are  afraid  of  God ;  but  we  neither  fear  God,  man,  nor  the 
devil!'  This  story,"  continued  Mr.  S.,  "was  reported  while 
you  were  absent  in  New  England,  and  has  been  circulated  very 
industriously  to  your  disadvantage.  And  as  you  were  once  ac- 
tually called  from  Sangerfield  to  Brookfield  to  attend  a  funeral, 
many  were  disposed  to  give  implicit  credit  to  the  story,  without 
taking  the  trouble  of  making  any  further  inquiry.  I  was  fear- 
ful," he  added,  "that  no  one  had  been  friendly  enough  to  inform 
you  of  it."  v"  This,"  said  I,  "Brother  S.,  is  the  very  first  hint 
I  ever  had  of  it.     Well  has  the  poet  said, 

' '  Tis  slander. 
Whose  edge  is  sharper  than  a  sword,  whose  tongue 
Outvenoms  all  the  worms  of  Nile.' 

It  is  of  no  use.  Brother  S.,  for  me  to  contradict  it — to  tell  you 
there  is  not  a  word  of  truth  in  the  whole  of  it ;  but  thus  much  I 
will  say — that,  with  your  assistance,  ijou  shall  knoio  whether  it 
be  so  or  not ;  and  all  I  want  of  you  now,  is,  to  give  me  the  name 
of  your  author."  He  did  so  ;  and  I  immediately  called  on  the 
man,  and  rebuked'  him  sharply  ;  for,  although  he  was  a  member 
of  a  Baptist  church,  he  stood  in  such  a  relation  to  me  as  to  be 
under  the  most  solemn  obligation  not  to  circulate  slanderous  re- 
ports about  me  ;  but  should  have  come  and  whispered  my  faults 
into  my  own  ears.  I  made  the  man  tremble,  and  humbly  ask 
forgiveness.  1  told  him,  however,  as  it  respected  myself,  T  cared 
little  about  his  assisting  to  spread  the  story ;  but  1  wanted  he 
should  be  more  faithful  to  his  duty ;  and  all  I  required  of  him 
at  present  was,  to  inform  me  who  told  him  the  story.  This  he 
readily  did,  and  voluntarily  offered  to  assist  me  in  tracing  the 
story  to  its  origin.  The  story  now  rested  upon  the  shoulders  of 
his  own  minister.  Elder  Joy  Handy. 

In  the  course  of  a  few  days,  I  made  it  convenient  to  call  at 
Elder  Handy's  house.  He  was  not  within  ;  but  his  wife  told  me 
he  was  at  work  on  his  farm,  and  directed  me  to  the  place.  I 
went  and  found  him.     I  had  previously  formed  an  acquaintance 


150  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

with  Elder  Handy,  and  had  uniformly  received  polite  treatment ; 
but  his  holy  wrath  against  Universalism  must  now  be  gratified, 
even  at  the  expense  of  my  reputation.  Oh,  how  much  mischief 
sectarian  bigotry  is  capable  of  doing !  "  Father,  forgive  them, 
for  they  know  not  what  they  do."  After  a  few  moments'  talk 
on  common  topics,  I  inquired  of  him,  if  he  had  ever  heard  any 
thing  disreputable  of  my  character.  The  Elder  answered  rather 
hesitatingly  "Why,  no — not  as  I  particularly  recollect."  1  then 
related  the  story  to  him  circumstantially,  and  observed,  that  I ' 
did  not  know  but  he  might  have  heard  of  it,  as  I  understood  it 
was  in  quite  general  circulation  ;  and  asked  him,  if  he  had  ever 
heard  any  thing  like  that  about  me.  He  again  hesitated,  and, 
as  I  thought,  manifested  a  little  confusion,  for  I  looked  at  him 
pretty  steadily  in  the  eye  ;  but  at  length  he  answered  to  the  effect, 
that  it  did  seem  as  though  he  had  heard  something  like  it ;  but 
he  could  hardly  recollect — he  paid  very  little  attention  to  it — he 
did  not  know  but  I  allowed  such  things.  By  this  time,  old  Ad- 
am came  pretty  near  getting  the  advantage  of  me  ;  and  I  said, 
with  some  degree  of  earnestness  I  presume,  •'•'  Elder  Handy !  this 
indifference  will  not  answer  your  purpose.  Whether  you  have 
ever  heard  such  a  story  or  not,  you  have  reported  it.  I  have 
now  come  to  you,  sir,  in  a  Christian  spirit,  I  hope  and  trust,  to 
ask  an  explanation,  and  to  obtain  Christian  satisfaction — that 
satisfaction  which  one  Christian  has  a  right  to  demand  of  another, 
and  which  a  Christian  is  under  obligation  to  give.  I  aslc  nothing 
but  Christian  satisfaction ;  but  if  I  can  not  have  that,  the  law  is 
open,  and  I  will  have  legal  satisfaction.  If  you  lieardxhe  storj^ 
all  I  want  of  you  is,  to  assist  me  in  tracing  if  to  its  origin  ;  and 
if  you  refuse  that,  I  shall  treat  you  as  its  author.  You  shall 
know,  sir,  whether  I  allow  of  such  things  or  not."  By  this  time 
the  Elder  began  to  look  quite  serious  ;  said  he  would  go  to  tlfe 
house,  and  talk  with  Mrs.  Handy  about  it;  perhaps  she  might 
recollect  something. more  definitely.  We  accordingly  went  to 
the  house;  and  before  I  left  them,  they  could  recollect  all 
about  it,  even  to  the  most  trivial  circumstance.  They  could  not 
only  remember  who  told  them,  the  time  when,  how  the  subject 
was  introduced ;  but  the  identical  spot  in  the  room  occupied  by 
the  speaker  when  he  related  the  story  to  them.  There  had  been 
but  two  alterations  of  the  story  in  its  circulation  ;  and  those  were 
in  regard  to  the  time  and  place  of  transaction.  The  scene  was 
now  transferred  from  that  place  to  Massachusetts  ;  and  the  time, 
before  I  ever  came  into  the  western  country. 

The  fact  was,  a  Baptist  preacher  by  the  name  of  King,  a  resl- 


LIFE   OF    REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  151 

dent  of  the  town  of  Wendell,  Mass.,  adjoining  the  town  of  my 
nativity,  had  made  a  tour  through  this  country  in  my  absence, 
and  visited  Elder  Handy,  in  Brookfield  ;  and,  hearing  of  me  in 
this  country,  and  of  the  progress  of  Universalism,  in  order  to 
give  vent  to  his  malignity — to  destroy  my  influence,  and  check 
the  progress  of  the  doctrine,  had  descended  to  the  meanness 
and  wickedness  of  altering  a  story  which  he  might  have  heard 
about  another  person,  and  applying  it  to  me.  I  informed  Elder 
H.,  and  his  lady,  that  I  should  go  to  New  England  the  first 
good  sleighing  ;  and  I  should  depend  on  them  giving  me  their 
testimony  in  writing  concerning  this  report,  with  their  own  sig- 
natures ;  as  I  should  certainly  visit  Elder  King,  and  call  on 
him  for  an  explanation.  This  they  expressed  their  entire  readi- 
ness to  fPb  ;  and  added,  "  We  now  believe  that  Elder  King  must 
have  labored  under  a  mistake;  and  we  are  not  only  willing, 
but  desirous,  to  do  all  in  our  power  to  help  you  to  put  this  mat- 
ter right."  Immediately,  while  every  circumstance  of  the 
story  was  fresh  in  my  mind,  I  prepared  a  writing,  something 
in  the  form  of  an  affidavit,  and  presented  it  to  Ek  er  H.  and 
lady  for  signature.  The  Elder  remarked,  I  had  got  the  story 
correct;  but  he  did  not  so  well  like  the  form  of  the  instru- 
ment';  he  would  rather  write  a  letter  with  his  own  hand,  and 
he  and  Mrs.  H.  would  sign  it ;  and  he  would  deliver  it  to  me 
unsealed,  and  1  might  carry  it  to  Elder  King.  I  told  him,  the 
form  was  a  matter  of  indifierence  with  me  ;  so  that  the  story 
should  be  correctly  reported;  and  Elder  K.  should  clearly  un- 
derstand us.  He  therefore  prepared  his  letter  with  great  care 
and  exactness — relating  every  circumstance  as  he  had  pre- 
viously told  it  to  me  ;  and  in  addition,  gave  me  a  higher  re- 
commendation than  I  should  have  dared  to  ask  of  any  man ; 
remarking  to  Elder  K.  that  he  was  confident  there  must  be 
some  unhappy  mistake  about  it,  for  he  had  every  reason  to 
disbelieve  it  ;  and  he  and  Mrs.  H.  both  signed  the  letter,  and 
handed -it  to  me  in  good  season. 

It  was  wonderfully  amusing  to  see  how  quick  the  tongue  of 
slander  was  silenced,  the  moment  I  began  to  make  a  stir,  and 
to  inquire  into  the  origin  of  this  story — to  witness  the  stillness 
of  death  among  those  who' had  been  the  most  officious  and  vo- 
ciferous in  its  propagation,  and  had  chuckled  secretly  at  the 
prospect  of  my  downfall,  and  the  overthrow  of  Universalism 
in  consequence.  Not -a  word  more  was  said  in  favor  of  it — 
they  were  all  ready  to  declare,  they  never  did  believe  a  word 
oi  it,  but  were  always  confident  it  was  a  shocking  mistake  ! 


152  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

At  the  time  appointed,  I  went  to  New  England,  and  carried 
my  unsealed  letter.  The  step-mother  of  her  who,  on  this  visit, 
became  my  wife,  was  a  member  of  Elder  King's  church.  I 
took  an  early  opportunity  to  show  her  Elder  Handy's  letter, 
and  asked  her  what  she  thought  of  it  ?  The  old  lady  was 
shocked,  mortified,  and  vexed  beyond  measure.  She  wondered 
what  Elder  King  could  mean,  by  reporting  such  a  story ; 
when  she  was  confident  he  must  know,  or  certainly  ought  to 
have  known,  there  was  not  a  word  of  truth  in  it.  She  would 
go  with  me  herself  to  Elder  King  ;  and  she  was  sure  he  would 
readily  give  me  satisfaction.  We  accordingly  went,  but  we 
found  not  the  Elder  at  home.  He  had  gone  on  a  short  mis- 
sion, but  would  be  at  home  in  a  few  days.  Elder  K.  was  a 
widower,  but  his  housekeeper  was  a  member  of  his  chA'ch  ;  I 
therefore  read  Elder  K.'s  letter  to  her,  and  left  it  in  her  care,  to 
deliver  it  to  him  as  soon  as  he  returned.  I  told  her  how  long  I 
expected  to  remain  in  New  Salem,  when  I  intended  to  return 
to  New  York ;  and  I  should  certainly  expect  to  hear  from  El- 
der K.  before  that  time.  The  old  lady,  Mrs.  Clark,  urged  the 
importance  of  it  also,  in  very  strong  terms,  and  we  left.  The 
time  elapsed,  but  Elder  K.  never  made  his  appearance,  nor 
could  I  hear  a  syllable  from  him  ;  and  the  day  before  I  left  the 
country  I  addressed  a  letter  to  him,  couched,  I  presume,  in 
pretty  strong  terms,  and  closed  by  giving  him  my  place  of  ad- 
dress, and  assuring  him  in  the  most  peremptory  manner,  that 
if  I  did  not  hear  from  him  within  one  month,  at  farthest,  he 
might  expect  to  hear  from  me,  in  a  more  disagreeable  way. 
This  letter  I  left  in  the  care  of  my  mother  in-law,  to  be  for- 
warded immediately  ;  and  in  less  than  a  month,  I  received  a 
letter  from  him,  of  which  the  following  is  an  extract  : 

"  I  am  satisfied  that  the  report  of  your  being  found  playing 
cards,  when  called  to  attend  a  funeral,  and  the  speech  you  are 
said  to  have  made  on  that  occasion,  is  not  true.  It  is  but  justice 
to  you,  and  sailsfaction  to  myself,  to  declare,  that  I  am  very 
sorry  that  I  reported  the  story.  I  am  also  unhappy  if  any  un- 
favorable impressions  have  been  made  on  any  minds  by  my 
means,  and  wish  they  may  be  done  away.  I  further  say,  that 
I  have  never,  that  I  recollect,  heard  any  thing  unfavorable  to 
your  moral  character,  saving  this  unfounded  atfair.  Please  to 
give  my  love  to  brother  and  sister  Handy — I  regret  the  trouble 
I  have  given  you  all  in  this  business,  and  thank  you  all  for  your 
exertions  to  bring  things  right. 

"  Your  friend  and  humble  servant,        *'  Samuel  King.*' 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  153 

This  letter  I  exhibited  to  my  friends,  and  made  it  as  public 
as  I. could,  without  committing  it  to  the  press;  and  it  proved 
satisfactory  to*  all — totally  stopped  the  further  circulation  of  the 
story  in  all  that  county,  and  had  a  tendency  to  make  our  ene- 
mies more  cautious  in  fabricating  and  circulating  slanderous 
reports  about  Universalist  preachers.  And  the  whole  transac- 
tion had  a  very  favorable  effect  upon  the  progress  of  divine 
truth,  in  its  infancy  in  this  country  ;  indeed  all  the  efforts  of  its 
enemies,  however  malignant  and  bitter,  to  suppress  it,  seemed  to 
terminate  in  its  favor,  and  advance  its  popularity  and  its  pro- 
gress. It  seemed  to  be  an  illustration  of  .what  the  Apostle  said 
in  respect  to  Hmself  and  his  coadjutors,  that  whatever  their 
characters  might  be,  they  could  "  do  nothing  against  the  truth, 
but  for  the  truth.".  God,  in  his  goodness,  overruled  all  their  vile 
machinations,  to  the  advancement  of  the  truth  they  intended  to 
suppress,  and  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom  in 
this  new  and  flourishing  part  of  his  vineyard.  Although  1  felt 
well  satisfied  at  the  time,  and  have  never  seen  cause  to  change 
my  opinion,  that  Elder  King  did  not  make  a  full  confession  of 
his  guilt — that  he  perfectly  knew,  when  he  was  relating  the  story 
to  Elder  Handy,  that  he  was  telling  a  positive  apd  wilful 
falsehood  about  me  ;  still  his  confession  answered  my  purpose, 
and  made  him  an  unwilling  instrument  in  advancing  the  cause 
he  designed  to  destroy  ;  and  I  felt  perfectly  willing  to  leave  the 
rest  for  him  to  settle  between  his  own* conscience  and  his  God. 
But  to  return  to  my  narrative  more  consecutively  : 

As  the  time  drew  nigh  when  Elder  Morton  and  myself  were 
to  hold  our  meeting,  considerable  excitement  was  manifested  on 
the  subject,  both  by  friends  and  opposers.  It  was  a  subject  of 
conversation  for  a  considerable  distance  around,  and  prepara- 
tions were  made  to  attend  the  preaching  race,  as  some  were 
pleased  facetiously  to  denominate  it ;  for  no  such  occurrence 
had  ever  taken  place  in  all  that  region  of  country.  My  friends 
expressed  a  good  deal  of  symyathy  for  me,  and  indulged  not  a 
little  fear.  I  stood  alone  and  but  a  stripling ;  and  my  opponent 
was  a  man  of  years  and  experience,  and  stood  high  in  his  de- 
nomination as  a  man  of  sound  talent,  and  a  shrewd  and  success- 
ful controversialist.  He  would  also  be  surrounded  with  friends 
and  assistants  ;  for,  indeed,  clergymen  and  laymen  of  every  re- 
ligious sect,  however  opposed  to  each  other  on  every  other  point 
of  doctrine,  agreed  in  the  soul-cheering  (!)  anticipations  of  end- 
less misery  for  some  immortal  souls;  and,  therefore,  like  the 
factions  in  Jerusalem,  who,  when  closely  beseiged  by  the  Ro- 


154  MEMOIRS   OF   THE 

mans,  would  cease  to  kill  each  other,  and  unite  to  fight  the  com- 
mon enemy— my  opponents  would,  with  spirited  unanimity,  strive 
together  against  Universalism.  But  I  must  stand  entirely  alone, 
in  respect  to  human  help — not  a  brother  preacher  to"  assist  or 
encourage  me,  nor  one  to  hold  up  my  head  during  the  battle — 
not  a  preacher  of  the  order,  nor  one  who  had  the  least  sympa- 
thy for  the  doctrine  within  forty  or  fifty  miles.  I  told  them, 
however,  not  to  fear  ;  the  cause  Avas  not  mine,  but  the  Lord's — 
that  "  Fie  had  chosen  the  weak  things  of  this  world,  to  confound 
the  things  which  are  mighty" — that  the  "race  was  not  always 
to  the  swift,  nor  the  battle  to  the  strong." 

The  day  at  length  arrived  ;  and  a  vast  concourse  of  people 
assembled.  Some,  with  ardent  expectations  that  Universalism 
would  that  day  receive  its  overthrow,  were  already  exulting  with 
invidious  smiles,  and  verily  hoping,  that  the  damnable  heresy 
would  be  scouted-  from  the  country  ;  some,  with  seriously  in- 
quiring minds,  to  know  what  truth  was  ;  some,  with  "  trembling 
hope"  for  my  success;  and  many  from  mere  curiosity,  feeling 
quite  indifferent  how  the  argument  terminated.  I  was  on  the 
ground  in  season,  with  a  few  of  my  faithful  friends  accompany- 
ing me.  We  met  at  the  house  of  Rev.  Mr.  Woodworth,  the 
Presbyterian  clergyman,  where  we  found  several  clergymen  of 
his  own  denomination,  some  from  quite  a  distance,  who  had  come 
purposly  to  attend  the  meeting  ;  one  Baptist  preacher  was  there 
besides  Elder  M.,  and  so'me  Methodists.  The  people  soon  as- 
sembled, and  filled  the  church  to  excess.  It  was  a  large,  high 
house,  with  galleries  on  the  sides,  all  in  an  unfinished  state ; 
but  temporary  seats,  above  and  below,  compactly  fixed  over  the 
whole  area ;  and  every  seat  was  filled,  and  many  had  to  stand 
up  during  the  whole  exercise.  The  services  were  to  commence, 
precisely  at  ten  o'clock ;  but  the  hour  passed,  and  Elder  M. 
still  delayed.  I  spoke  to  him  about  commencing — observed, 
the  day  is  short,  and  we  shall  probably  need  all  the  time  we  can 
have  ;  and  the  people  are  waiting.  Still  he  delayed.  I  again 
reminded  him  of  the  importance  of  commencing  his  exercise. 
In  a  few  moments  I  discovered  he  was  missing,  and  inquired  of 
Mr.  Woodworth  if  he  knew  where  Elder  M.  was  ?  He  re- 
plied, he  did  not ;  but  thought  it  possible  he  had  gone  to  the 
meeting-house.  I  remarked  to  my  friends,  that  we  would  go 
and  see.  We  did  so,  and  found  him  in  the  desk,  and  just  pre- 
pared to  commence  his  services.  I  took  this  as  a  manifest  indi- 
cation of  his  design ;  which  was,  to  treat  me  with  the  utmost 
contempt,  and  to  take  every  advantage  he  possibly  could,  by  con- 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  155 

suming  time,  and  in  every  other  way.  However,  I  said  to  my- 
self, God  will  manage  these  matters,  and  overrule  all  for  his  glo- 
ry, and  the  good  of  the  cause  ;  and  I  very  contentedly  took  my 
seat  with  the  congregation,  although  Elder  M.'s  own  father,  who 
was  also  a  member  of  liis  church,  came  to  me  and  urged  me  to 
go  into  the  desk,  saying,  "  You  have  as  good  a  right  there  as 
Salmon  has."  I  mention  this,  to  show,  that  such  unchristian 
conduct  can  not  escape  notice,  and  will  excite  sympathy  for  the 
abused,  even  among  honest  opposers.  The  Elder  commenced 
by  reading  his  text,  after  the  ordinary  ceremonies  of  singing  and 
prayer ;  but  he  did  not  attempt  to  illustrate  the  doctrine  of  it,  or 
make  any  further  use  of  it  than  of  any  other  text  which  he 
quoted  to  prove  endless  misery.  The  whole  of  his  discourse 
consisted  of  a  violent  "philippic  against,  and  a  wilful  or  profound- 
ly ignorant  misrepresentation  and  perversion  of  the  doctrine 
of  Universalism  ;  and  a  most  ungentlemanly,  not  to  say  unchris- 
tian, abuse  of  its  advocates  ;  and  he  closed  with  a  filthy  and  ob-. 
scene  poem,  (not  the  one  appended  to  Lemuel  Haynes'  notorious 
sermon,  against  Universalism,  but  vastly  more  filthy,  if  possible) 
which  he  intended  as  a  caricature  of  Universalism.  It  proved 
as  I  feared — he  lengthened  out  his  services  so  as  to  use  up  all 
the  time  he  possibly  could,  occupying  more  than  two  hours,  and 
bringing  it  to  nearly  two  o'clock  when  he  closed.  But  his  own 
malice  defeated  his  object.  Every  step  he  took  was  so  appar- 
ently unjust  and  unchristian,  that  he  enlisted  the  sympathies  of 
the  whole  congregation  in  my  favor  ;  and  undoubtedly  procured 
me  a  more  patient  end  favorable  attention  than  I  should  have 
otherwise  received. 

When  he  closed,  I  arose,  and  notified  the  congregation  that 
after  an  intermission  of  fi.fteen  minutes,  services  would  be  re- 
sumed. The  congregation  went  out,  for  the  sake  of  exercise  ; 
and  I  stepped  into  a  friend's  house  and  took  a  morsel  of  refresh- 
ment. The  time  had  not  expired  when  I  returned  ;  but  found 
tlie  people  assembled  and  in  their  seats — not  one,  I  presume,  was 
missing.  Near  the  desk  sat  Elder  M.  and  his  associate,  and 
just  by  them  six  Presbyterian  ministers.  As  I  passed,  I  spoke 
to  Elder  M.,  and  invited  him  into  the  desk  with  me.  He  looked 
ashamed,  and  declined  the  invitation.  We  had  a  good  choir  of 
singers  in  attendance,  but  I  remarked,  as  the  time  had  nearly  all 
been  consumed,  and  so  little  remained  for  me  to  occupy,  I  should 
only  read  one  hymn  for  an  introduction,  and  must  dispense  with 
further  singing.  When  the  hymn  was  read,  it  made  every  eye 
la    the   congregation    stare ;    and    many    significant    glances 


156  MEMOIRS     OF    THE 

were  exchanged  from  one  to  another.  I  cast  my  eye  upon  the 
circle  of  clergymen  who  sat  before  me,  and  they  were  looking 
and  winking  at  each  other,  with  suppressed  smiles  and  thoughtful 
countenances.  I  read  from  Watts ;  but  I  was  afterwards  told 
by  several,  that  they  would  actually  have  believed  I  made  the 
hymn,  as  I  read  it,  had  not  the  singers  found  it  in  their  books, 
and  sang  it.  It  was  the  cause  of  more  speculation  than  I  ever 
before  heard  on  a  similar  subject  ;  and  it  seemed  as  though  Dr. 
Watts  wrote  it  specially  for  the  occasion.  I  read  it  as  emphati- 
cally as  I  could ;  and  the  choir  caught  the  spirit,  and  sang  it 
with  life.  In  order  that  the  reader  may  have,  as  nearly  as  pos- 
sible, the  whole  scene  before  him,  and  enter  into  the  spirit  of  the 
occasion,  I  will  take  the  liberty  to  insert  the  hymn,  distinguishing 
the  words  on  which  I  laid  a  particular  emphasis.  It  is  the  18th 
Ps.,  1st  part,  CM. 

1.  The  Lord  appears  my  helper  now, 

Nor  is  my  faith  afraid 
What  all  the  sons  of  earth  can  do, 
Since  Heaven  affords  its  aid. 

2.  'Tis  safer,  Lord,  to  hope  in  thee, 

And  have  my  (tod  my  friend; 
Than  trust  in  men  of  high  degree, 
And  on  their  truth  depend. 

3.  Like  bees,  my  foes  begirt  me  round, 

A  large  and  angry  swarm  ; 
But  I  shall  all  their  rage  confound, 

By  THINE  AL3IIGHTY   ARM. 

4.  'Tis  through  the  Lord  my  hope  is  strong, 

In  HIM  my  lips  rejoice  ; 
While  his  SALVATION  is  my  song, 
How  CHEERFUL  IS  my  voice. 

5.  Like  angry  bees  they  girt  me  round  ; 

When  God  appears,  they  fly  ; 
So  burning  thorns,  with  crackling  sound. 
Make  a  fierce  blaze,  and  die. 

6.  Joy  to  the  saints  and  peace  belong"; 

The  Lord  protect  their  days ; 
Let  Israel  tune  immortal  songs 
To  his  almighty  grace. 

I  was  perfectly  aware  that  the  opposers,  and  especially  those 
wise  and  knowing  divines  who  surrounded  me,  eagerly  antici- 
pated my  total  break-down  upon  the  text ;  and  if  I-  failed  to  show 
its  harmony  with  the  doctrine  of  God's  universal  and  triumphant 
grace — that  it  did  not  contain,  in  itself,  nor  support,  the  doctrine 
of  endless  misery — whatever  I  might  say  besides,  or  however  I 
might  dispose  of  other  passages  quoted  by  Elder  M.,  they  would 
claim  a  complete  victory.     I  had  not  time  to  follow  Elder  M. 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.      ■  157 

i 

through  the  whole  of  his  incoherent  and  wandering  harangue,        | 
had  I  been  so  disposed  ;    I  therefore  formed  my  resolution,  at 
once,  to  confine  myself  exclusively  to  the  text ;  and   remarked,        | 
in  the  outset,  that  the  short  time  which  the  gentleman  had  allow-        i 
ed  me,  rendered  it  impossible  for  me  to  follow  him  through  all 
the  devious  windings  of  his  long  discourse,  and  notice  all  the        ' 
passages  he  had  brought  up  as  objections  to  the  doctrine  he  had        ; 
misrepresented  ;  nor  was  I  inclined,  if  I  had  time,  to  reply  to  all        > 
his  invidious  remarks,  or  retaliate  his  personal  abuse.     I  would        , 
rather  follow  the  instructions  of  the  Savior  of  the  world,  when 
I  was  reviled,  not  to  revile  again.     Elder  M.  was  looking  me  in        j 
the  face,  but  when  I  made  the  last  remark,  I  fixed  my  eye  upon 
him,  and  he  dropped  his  head  ;  and  I  know  not  that  he  looked  at        j 
me  again,  during  my  discourse.     I  occupied  a  reasonable  time 
on  the  text,  which  brought  it  to  very  near  night ;  but  had  the 
success  so  to  engage  the  attention  of  the  congregation,  notwith-        j 
standing  many  of  them  were  far  from  home,  and  the  seats  to 
which  they  had  so  long  been  confined  were  not  the  most  agree-        i 
ble,  that  a  profound  stillness  prevailed  ;  and  1  know  not  that  one        ' 
left  the  house,  until  I  dismissed  the  assembly,  and  thanked  them 
for  their  attention.  i 

So  far  from  gratifying  the  enemies  of  the  doctrine,  by  its  total 
overthrow  and  fatal  explosion,  this  meeting  had  an  efficient  ten- 
dency to  advance  it  in  the  country  round  about,  and  to  build  up 
a  society  in  Madison,  and  establish  regular  preaching  in  that 
town  ;  arid  it  was  the  last  attack  that  Elder  Morton  ever  made 
upon  me,  personally.  Some  years  afterwards,  when  Mr.  Dean 
came  into  the  country,  and  was  employed  part  of  his  time  with 
the  society  in  JMadison,  the  Elder  made  several  furious  attacks 
upon  him  ;  and  once  preached  at  him  from  the  text,  "  O,  full  of 
all  subtlety,  and  all  mischief,  thou  child  of  the  devil,  thou  ene- 
my of  all  righteousness  !  wilt  thou  not  cease  to  pervert  the  right 
ways  of  the  Lord  ?"  And  which  of  them  gave  the  challenge,  I 
can  not  now  tell,  but  they  once  held  a  public  debate,  which  I  at- 
tended one  afternoon  and  evening  ;  and  that,  I  believe,  finished 
Elder  Morton's  public  and  open  warfare  against  Universalism  ;  j 
for  I  do  not  recollect  hearing  of  his  making  an  attack  upon  a  | 
Universalist  preacher  after  that  time. 

When  once  I  had  surmounted  the  barriers  to  an  entrance  on 
the  Gospel  ministry,  and  had  actually  made  my  dehut  upon  that 
solemn  stage,  I  fully  resolved,  God  being  my  helper,  to  faithfully 
and  exclusively  devote  my  life,  with  the  feeble  talents  Heaven  had       , 
bestowed,  to  the   great  and  holy  cause  I  had  espoused,  and  to 


158  3lEM0mS    OF   THE  . 

suffer  no  engagements  which  I  might  make,  nor  connections 
which  I  might  form,  to  divert  my  attention  from  it,  or  serve  as  a 
hindrance  to  my  usefuhiess.  ■\Iy  whole  soul  was  engaged  in  it; 
for  here  I  had  found  the  happiness,  the  peace  of  mind,  and  the 
stability  of  purpose  and  pursuit,  which  I  had  for  years  sought  in 
vain,  in  other  callings,  but  which  had  hitherto  eluded  my  pur- 
suit. I  looked  for  an  exemplar  among  the  early  christians  and 
first  preachers  of  the  Gospel  of  reconciliation,  and  none  appeared 
more  amiable,  more  zealously  devoted  to  the  cause,  more  self- 
sacrificing,  and  worthy  of  imitatioii,  that  the  great  Apostle  of  the 
Gentiles.  His  whole  life  was  exclusively  devoted  to  the  cause. 
He  suffered  no  persecution  to  discourage  him,  or  cause  him  to 
relinquish  his  calling,  or  falter  in  his  race.  He  made  it  as  little 
expensive  as  possible  to  his  hearers  and  friends,  working  with 
his  own  hands  to  minister  to  the  wants  of  himself  and  those  who 
accompanied  him  ;  and  he  encumbered  himself  with  no  con- 
nection that  v/ould,  for  a  moment,  divert  his  attention  from  his 
high  and  holy  calling.  Although  he  did  not  condemn  the  in- 
stitution of  marriage,  he  more  than  intimated,  as  I  thought,  that 
preachers  of  the  Gospel,  at  least,  had  better  remain  in  a  state  of 
celibacy  ;  in  order  to  be  the  most  useful :  ''  He  that  is  unmarried 
careth  for  the  things  of  the  Lord,  how  he  may  please  the  Lord  ; 
but  he  that  is  married  careth  for  the  things  of  the  world,  how  he 
may  please  his  wife."  This  looked  to  me  truly  philosophical ; 
and  I  made  up  my  mind  not  to  entangle  myself  with  the  bonds 
of  wedlock.  It  required  no  small  resolution  and  fixedness  of 
purpose ;  for  I  had  always  been  remarkably  fond  of  society, 
and  of  virtuous  female  association  ;  and  to  exclude  myself  entire- 
ly from  their  society,  and  from  the  refining  and  polishing,  as 
well  as  the  exhilarating,  influence  of  their  manners  and  conver- 
sation, appeared  to  me  almost  impossible ;  but  this  I  must  do,  at 
least  in  a  very  great  measure,  or  be  very  liable  to  be  drawn  into 
the  vortex  of  connubial  connection,  which  I  thought  it  my  duty 
to  avoid.  L  therefore  put  on  as  cold,  frigid,  and  misanthropic  a 
manner  and  habit  toward  the  female  sex  as  lay  in  my  power  ; 
and  for  a  few  years  persevered  in  this  course,  shunning,  as  much 
as  consistent  with  politeness  and  common  civility,  the  society  of 
unmarried  females.  But  alas  !  the  tax  was  too  severe  on  my 
feelings ;  although  I  felt  happy  in  religion,  I  still  felt  a  loneli- 
ness, a  solitude  in  the  midst  of  a  world  of  living  beings.  I 
wanted  the  union  of  a  heart  that  felt  all  that  I  could  feel,  that 
could  be  a  faithful  repository  of  my  most  secret  thoughts,  that 
could  fully  sympathize  with  me  in  all  my  trials,  and  cares,  and 


LIFE    OT   REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  159 

anxieties,  and  sufferings,  and  fully  share  all  my  hopes  and  my 
joys.  And  in  the  spring  of  1804,  immediately  after  the  close  of 
my  winter's  school  in  New  Salem,  T  fell  in  company  with  a 
young  woman,  who,  I  verily  thought,  would  make  me  such  a 
companion.  She  was  a  native  of  .the  same  town  as  I  was  ;  her 
parents,  like  mine,  being  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  the  town- 
ship. They  settled,  however,  in  parts  of  the  town  remote  from 
each  other,  some  eight  miles  apart ;  and  very  little  intercourse 
was  enjoyed  between  the  neighborhoods,  either  by  old  or  young. 
In  consequence  of  residing  in  that  part  of  the  town  for  a  short 
season,  in  youth,  I  had  seen  her  when  a  child  of  ten  or  eleven 
years,  but  had  hardly  heard  her  name  mentioned  since  then  un- 
til the  time  alluded  to.  I  had  never  taken  the  veil,  nor  the  oath 
of  celibacy ;  and,  fortunately,  my  resolution  was  not  like  the 
laws  of  the  Medes  and  Persians,  which  admitted  of  no  revoca- 
tion ;  I  therefore  sought  an  interview,  and  ventured  to  spend 
some  seasons,  from  time  to  time,  in  her  company.  She  was  by 
no  means  a  believer  in  my  doctrine,  nor  did  she  manifest  strong 
prejudices  against  it;  slio  had  never  heard  much  about  it.  Her 
parents  were  members  of  the  Congregational  church,  and  she 
had  been  bred  up  in  that  religion  ;  but  had  never  made  any  per- 
sonal profession.  Her  mother  had  been  dead  a  few  years, 
when  I  became  acquainted  with  her,  and  her  father  had  married 
a  second  wife,  who  was  a  very  rigid  Baptist.  The  name  of  the 
young  woman  was  Susan  Clark,  the  youngest  daughter  and 
youngest  child  of  Percy  Clark ;  whose  family  originally  con- 
sisted of  twelve  children.  Mr.  Clark  was,  at  that  time,  in  point 
of  property,  above  the  mediocrity  of  society  around  him,  a  shoe- 
maker by  trade,  but  also  a  successful  farmer.  He  brought  up 
his  family  in  habits  of  industry ;  and  also  gave  them  as  good  op- 
portunities for  education,  in  primary  or  common  schools,  as  the 
country  at  that  time  afforded.  I  was  sensible,  if  1  did  marry, 
and  calculated  to  be  made  happier  thereby,  and  live  in  cordiali- 
ty and  peace  with  a  companion,  I  must  marry  "  anjielp-ineef — 
■  one  who  could  work,  who  was  willing  to  work,  and  who  would 
not  feel  disgraced  by  being  found  with  her  needle  or  her  distaff 
in  her  hand.  It  would  not  secure  my  own  happiness,  much  less 
the  happiness  of  my  companion,  to  take  one,  even  if  the  oppportu- 
nity  were  afforded  me,  from  what  are  erroneously  called  the  higher 
walks  of  life — who  had  never  been  accustomed  to  housewifery, 
and  knew  not  how  to  make  a  loaf  of  bread,  or  to  perform  any 
kind  of  hand-labor — however  exalted  her  intellect,  or  however 
refined  her  education  ;  for  I  had  no  means  of  supporting  such 


160  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

an  one,  much  less  of  gratifying  her  pride  or  vanity  ;  and  it. 
would  be  but  involving  her  and  myself  in  eternal  disquietude, 
mortification,  and  wretchedness.  But  the  person  I  had  found 
appeared  to  me  every  way  calculated  to  constitute  the  compan- 
ion my  heart  sighed  for,  to  sooth  the  rough  current  of  life,  and 
enable  me  to  bear,  with  more  fortitude,  the  peltings  and  buffet- 
ings  of  those  storms  I  was  destined  to  meet,  and  must  encounter, 
in  the  voyage  of  life. 

After  a  sufficient  lapse  of  time  to  enable  me  to  become  fully 
acquainted,  as  I  believed,  with  the  character  and  disposition  of 
the  object  of  my  choice  ;  and  seriously  viewing  the  proceeding 
in  all  its  bearings,  as  far  as  my  ability  would  enable  me  ;  and 
prayerfully  seeking  Divine  aid  to  direct  my  steps,  I  with  much 
trembling  proposed  marriage.  I  well  considered  the  conse- 
quences of  practicing  the  least  deception  in  regard  to  my  fu- 
ture prospects.  I  told  her,  if  she  married  me,  she  knew  that 
she  would,  by  that  act,  be  united  for  life  to  a  devoted  preacher 
of  a  very  unpopular  doctrine  ;  who  possessed  no  estate,  no  prop- 
erty ;  and  who  resolved,  at  all  hazards,  to  devote  his  life  to  the 
cause  he  had  espoused  ;  whose  prospects  of  subsistence  for  him- 
self and  family  depended  wholly  upon  the  small  amount  of  la- 
bor he  would  be  able  to  perform  amidst  his  professional  engage- 
ments, and  the  voluntary  subscriptions  of  the  societies  to  whom 
he  would  preach,  which  never  had  been,  and  probably  never 
would  be,  very  liberal ;  her  temporal  prospects,  therefore,  were 
any  thing  but  flattering.  I  sometimes  felt  so  conscience-smitten 
with  regard  to  my  endeavors  to  allure  a  confiding  female  from  a 
"  father's  house,  where  was  bread  enough  and  to  spare,"  where 
she  could  enjoy  every  rational  privilege  and  comfort  in  the  bo- 
som of  a  fond  and  doling  parent — to  follow  the  fortunes  of  what 
the  unbelieving  world  called  "  a  wild  and  thoughtless  adven- 
turer"— to  be  doomed,  most  surely,  to  hard  toil,  and  perhaps  ex- 
treme poverty,  in  a  new  and  strange  country,  far  from  her  fa- 
ther's house,  and  from  all  her  friends  and  acquaintances — that 
I  even  shuddered  with  horror,  and  severely  condemned  myself 
for  attempting  to  win  her  affection.  But  I  felt  that  I  could  not 
be  happy  without  her;  that  the  world  would  be  too  thorny, 
and  barren  of  rational  enjoyment,  for  me  ever  to  think  of 
threading  its  "  'wildering  mazes  "  alone  ;  and  I  silenced  my 
conscience  with  the  old  doctrine,  "  Matches  are  made  in  hea- 
ven ;"  I  was,  therefore,  not  to  be  blamed  for  the  decree,  nor 
could  I  successfully  resist  it.  But  in  view  of  all  these  pros- 
pective  trials,  and  inconveniences,  and  disadvantages,  my  suit 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  161 

was  not  rejected;  and  the  time  now  approached  when  I  was 
to  return  to  New  England,  to  consummate  the  engagement, 
and  enter  the  married  state.  Accordingly,  the  earliest  sleigh- 
ing time,  which  happened  about  the  middle  of  January,  1806, 
I  started  for  New  Salem  ;  and  on  the  thirtieth  day  of  that 
month  the  nuptial  knot  was  tied,  in  her  father's  house.  I  was 
in  my  tw^enty-eighth  year,  and  she  in  her  twenty-third. 

Nor  have  I,  for  a  moment  of  my  life,  seen  cause  to  repent 
of  the  engagement.  We  have  lived  long  together,  and  proba- 
bly have  experienced  as  few  discordant  feelings  as  generally 
fall  to  the  lot  of  people,  struggling  through  the  trials  of  this 
mortal  life.  She  has  been  a  faithful  companion  and  ''help- 
meet,"  assisting  to  bear  the  almost  insupportable  burdens  al- 
lotted me  in  my  arduous,  and,  by  the  world,  thankless  calling, 
not  only  by  her  caresses  and  encouraging  counsel,  but  by  her 
incessant  labor.  Her  needle,  and  her  spinning-wheel,  and  her 
loom,  have  been,  by  turns,  employed  in  procuring  the  bread 
that  we  needed,  and  the  clothing  necessary  for  our  rising  fami- 
ly. We  have  been  blessed  with  eight  children,  three  sons  and 
five  daughters.  Six  are  still  living,  but  two,  our  third  son  and 
third  daughter,  have  been  taken  home  to  a  better  Father's 
house.  AH  our  surviving  children  are  now  married,  (1848,) 
and  are  comfortably  and  pleasantly  settled  in  the  world  ;  and, 
blessed  be  God,  have  thus  far  sustained  a  respectable  standing 
in  society. 

Two  of  our  friends  from  Brpokfield,  (Col.  N.  Haskel,  and 
his  brother  Jesse,)  went  down  with  teams,  and  removed  our  ef- 
fects ;  and  on  the  17th  day  of  February,  we  found  ourselves  in 
one  of  the  apartments  of  the  spacious  dwelling-house  of  Col. 
Haskel,  where  we  first  commenced  the  untried  business  of 
housekeeping. 

But  I  must  relate  an  incident  which  occurred  on  our  jour- 
ney ;  because  it  had  a  very  salutary  and  lasting  effect  on  the 
feelings  of  my  companion,  and  greatly  assisted  in  preparing 
her  head  and  her  heart  for  what  I  now  most  ardently  desired, 
her  fully  embracing  and  feeling  all  the  influence  of  the  doc- 
trine I  believed  and  advocated ;  and  I  took  every  possible  op- 
fortunity  to  place  her  in  the  way  of  means  calculated  to  make 
roper  impressions,  and  to  do  this  as  much  as  possible  without 
obviously  manifesting  a  design ;  for  more  could  be  done  this 
way,  and  done  effectually,  than  by  the  most  cogent  argument 
I  could  use. 

A  most  horrible  transaction  had  occured  the  previous  winter, 

K 


162  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

which  produced  a  fervid  excitement  through  the*  length  and 
breadth  of  the  land,  by  means  of  advertisements  in  almost  eve- 
ry newspaper  published  in  the  United  States.  A  man,  by  the 
name  of  Arnold,  in  the  town  of  Burlington,  Otsego  county,  N. 
Y.,  had  whipped  a  child  to  death  !  He  had  fled  ;  and  all  the 
sensibilities  of  the  human  heart  were  awakened.  Compassion 
for  the  little  innocent  sufferer,  sympathy  for  the  bereaved  and 
distressed  moiher,  enkindled  an  equal  horror  and  resentment 
against  the  unfeeling,  barbarous  monster  who  could  perpetrate 
so  foul  and  awful  a  deed  !  Advertisements  flew  on  the  wings 
of  the  wind ;  messengers  scoured  the  country  in  every  direc- 
tion, until  he  was  taken,  brought  back,  and  lodged  in  jail.  He 
had  his  trial,  was  condemned  to  be  executed,  and  was  actually 
led  to  the  gallows,  the  July  preceding ;  but  had  been  respited 
by  the  Governor,  who  had  this  winter  presented  his  case  to  the 
legislature  ;  and  they  were,  at  the  time  I  speak  of,  acting  upon 
it.  My  companion  had  partaken  of  the  excitement  very  feel- 
ingly. She  was  a  great  lover  of  children,  and  the  least  cruel- 
ty practiced  upon  them  excited  her  indignation  even  to  revenge. 
She  had  read  the  heart-rending  story  of  the  poor  child's  suffer- 
ings till  her  heart  bled  with  pity,  and  burned  with  indignation 
against  her  savage  and  cruel  murderer ;  and  nothing  could 
satisfy  her  but  his  protracted  death,  wherein  he  should  feel  as 
much  pain,  in  proportion  to  his  strength  to  bear  it,  as  the  poor 
innocent  child  did.  Hanging  was  too  good  for  him, — he  ought 
to  be  whipped  to  death  ;  and  she  could  see  it  done — she  would 
exult  in  seeing  him  cut  into  shreds. 

On  our  journey,  we  passed  through  Cooperstown,  where  Ar- 
nold was  confined  in  jail,  awaiting  the  action  of  the  legislature 
on  his  case.  I  had  to  make  some  stay  in  the  vicinity,  and  ful- 
fil an  appointment  left  on  my  way  down  ;  and  I  proposed  to  her 
to  go  to  the  jail,  and  see  this  monster  in  humau  shape.  She 
was  horror-struck  at  the  idea  of  beholding  such  a  monster ; 
but  finally  concluded  to  go  in.  It  was  a  good  time  to  make  the 
impression  I  desired.  He  had  just  received  a  paper  from  Al- 
bany, containing  the  proceedings  on  his  case,  and  the  present 
appearance  was  hopeless;  the  probability  was  that  the  legisla- 
ture would  not  commute  his  punishment,  but  would  appoint  0i 
early  hour  for  his  execution.  He  was,  therefore,  in  a  state  of 
hopeless  despair!  and  the  deep  dolorous  groans  that  escaped 
from  his  dark  cell,  as  we  entered  the  jail,  mingled  with  the  rat- 
tling of  his  chains  as  he  writhed  about  ;  were  enough  to  appal 
the  boldest   spirit,   and  draw  sympathy  from  a  heart  of  stone  ! 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  163 

His  wife  was  by  his  side  ;  and  a  Methodist  preacher,  who  had 
been  praying  with  him,  was  just  holding  him  by  the  hand  to  take 
his  leave.  I  entered  his  cell  and  spoke  to  him,  and  talked  with 
him  a  few  minutes  about  his  present  prospects,  and  also  his  fu- 
ture hopes;  he  was  heartless,  hopeless,  and  gloomy  in  the  ex. 
treme,  incapable  of  receiving  any  encouraging  hope  ;  a  groan 
accompanied  every  word,  and  his  poor  wife  %ept  aloud  !  I 
looked  at  my  companion,  and  her  countenance  was  softened 
down,  it  had  entirely  lost  that  stern,  rigid  expression  of  re- 
venge which  it  had  uniformly  worn,  when  speaking  of  him, 
and  exhibited  nothing  but  sensibility  and  compassion,  while 
tears  trembled  in  both  eyes.  This  was  as  I  would  have  it.  I 
strove,  as  well  as  I  could,  to  administer  a  ray  of  comfort  lo  the 
wretched  man,  and  his  weeping  wife,  and  bade  them  farewell. 
When  we  had  left  the  jail,  I  said  to  my  wife,  do  you  want  to  see 
Arnold  hung.  "No,"  she  said,  bursting  into  tears,  "he  has 
suffered  enough  ;  I  wish  they  would  let  him  go."  And  true  it 
was  :  although  his  cruelty  to  the  child  was  unparalleled,  and 
savage  in  the  extreme,  yet  the  intensity  of  his  sufferings  in 
twenty-four  hours  was  inexpressibly  and  immeasurably  be- 
yond all  that  the  child  could  have  endured.  But  the  legisla- 
ture did,  contrary  to  his  expectations  then,  commute  his  pun- 
ishment, and  sent  him  to  the  penitentiary,  where  he  closed  his 
life. 

This  scene  had  the  effect  on  my  companion  that  I  most  sin- 
cerely desired  ;  it  embucd  her  heart  with  a  feeling  of  compas- 
sion, even  toward  guilty  sufferers,  which  she  never  before  ex- 
perienced, and  which  was  as  abiding  as  her  existence.  And, 
this,  and  similar  scenes  which  fell  in  her  way,  prepared  her  to 
listen  with  deep  attention  to  the  doctrine  of  God's  divine  com- 
passion for  a  world  of  sinners,  and  formed  her  heart,  as  well  as 
prepared  her  understanding,  to  embrace  at  last  the  doctrine  of 
Universal  Grace  and  Salvation,  as  fully  and  as  heartily  as 
myself. 

Arrived,  at  last,  at  the  spot  where  I  had  agreed  to  fix  my  resi- 
dence for  a  season,  and  blessed  with  a  companion  who  would 
sympathize  in  all  my  feelings,  and  participate  in  all  my  hopes 
and  joys,  except  in  religion,  and  who  certainly  felt  no  repug- 
nance to  that,  I  felt  myself  in  a  more  eligible  situation  to  enjoy 
contentment  and  happiness  than  I  had  ever  been  before  ;  and  I 
felt  stronger  and  better  prepared  to  meet  the  butfetings  of  oppo- 
sition, and  endure  the  labors  and  trials  of  life.  But  I  was  des- 
tined immediately  to  meet  with  a  serious  misfortune,  under  my 


164  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

present  circumstances ;  one  which  almost  deprived  me  of  every 
means  of  fulfilling  my  engagements,  or  procuring  the  means 
of  subsistence.  A  horse  was  almost  as  necessary  to  me  as  my 
very  life.  I  had  to  travel,  monthly,  more  than  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  to  meet  my  regular  engagements  on  Sundays  ;  be- 
sides week-day  lectures,  and  casual  calls.  The  day  following 
my  arrival  ho^jjjp,  my  horse  received  a  kick  from  another,  from 
the  effects  of  which  he  died.  In  this  horse,  I  lost  more  proper- 
ty  than  I  was  worth  in  the  world  ;  for  I  was  still  indebted  for 
him ;  and  as  yet  I  had  no  means  of  making  payment,  much 
less  of  purchasing  another  ;  for  during  the  four  years  I  had 
been  preaching,  I  had  scarcely  received  sufficient  to  keep  my 
wardrobe  in  decent  repair,  and  defray  the  necessary  expenses  of 
traveling  ;  nor  could  I  have  done  that,  had  I  not  employed  a 
portion  of  my  time  in  teaching  school,  and  practiced  the  most 
severe  economy.  What  was  now  to  be  done  ?  I  felt  a  momen- 
tary despondency,  and  my  wife  shed  tears.  I  had  not  yet  ac- 
quired friends  sufficiently  numerous  and  strong  to  purchase  me 
another  horse,  or  even  to  assist  me  much  about  it.  What  friends 
I  had  were  widely  scattered  ;  and  the  societies  and  congrega- 
tions  to  which  I  preached  (for  as  yet  there  were  but  three  socie- 
ties in  existence,  in  central  New  York,)  were  too  poor,  or 
thought  they  were,  to  pay  more  than  their  meagre  subscriptions. 
However,  my  desponding  feelings  soon  subsided  :  I  said  to  my- 
self, "  The  Lord  will  provide  ;"  and  took  courage.  I  had  now 
regular  monthly  appointments,  besides  in  the  town  where  1  re- 
sided, in  Hamilton,  Madison,  Whitestown,  Sangerfield,  and 
Hartwick  ;  and  my  friends,  sometimes  one,  and  then  another, 
furnished  me  a  horse  for  a  trip,  for  a  few  weeks  ;  when  my 
good  old  brother  Stetson,  who  always  stood  by  me  like  a  guar- 
dian angel,  sold  me  a  horse,  and  agreed  to  wait  on  me  until  I 
could  pay  him  for  it ;  which  took  me  several  years. 

Oh,  how  little  do  our  young  brethren,  who  enter  the  ministry 
in  the  present  day,  know  or  dream  of  the  labors,  the  trials,  em- 
barrassmnnts,  obstacles,  and  discouragements  which  bestrewed 
my  path,  and,  indeed,  that  of  nearly  every  other  preacher  of  the 
order,  in  those  days  !  I  often  hear  them  complain  of  their  hard- 
ships,  their  meagre  salaries,  and  the  scanty  remunerations  they 
receive  for  their  services ;  and  I  often  think,  had  they  lived  in 
those  days,  they  would  feel  that  such  complaints  and  repinings 
are,  manifestly,  ingratitude  to  God.  They  find  societies  or- 
ganized to  their  hands,  calling  for  their  services,  and  holding  out 
moderate,  if  not  ample  compensation.     And  even  congregations 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  165 

which  they  occasionally  supply,  where  no  societies  are  organ- 
ized, have  learned  that  when  the  Apostle  said,  "  He  that  preaches 
the  Gospel  shall  live  of  the  Gospel,"  he  did  not  mean  that  they 
should  eat,  drink,  and  wear  nothing  else.  What  would  they 
think,  if  they  had  to  go  time  after  time,  and  preach  sometimes 
to  large  congregations,  assembled  merely  out  of  curiosity  to 
hear  what  "this  babbler  would  say  ;"  and  at  other  times,  to  half 
a  dozen ;  and  so  continue  for  months,  while  the  people  consider- 
ed that  they  were  doing  the  preacher  overmuch  honor,  and  quite 
as  much  as  they  could  affiDrd  to  do,  to  spend  time  to  give  him  a 
hearii^g,  without  once  thinking  that  he  needed  any  thing  else  ? 
And  to  be  obliged,  in  doing  this,  to  ride  whole  days  without  mo- 
ney enough  in  their  pockets  to  buy  a  meal  of  victuals,  or  a  mess 
of  oats  for  their  horse  ;  and  even  compelled  to  pawn  their  pock- 
et-knife, to  get  through  a  turnpike-gate,  to  go  to  the  place  of  ap- 
pointment ;  and  then  take  a  circuitous  route  back,  to  avoid  the 
gate,  so  as  to  get  home  again,  because  they  got  not  enough  for 
their  services  to  pay  the  toll  ?  Why,  they  would  at  once  say, 
they  loould  not  do  it.  But  some  one  must  have  done  it,  or  there 
would  now  have  been  no  societies,  no  congregations  to  hear  and 
support  them.  All  this  I  have  done  ;  and  all  this  was  necessa- 
ry to  be  done,  in  order  to  clear  the  ground,  and  plant  the  seed 
which  has  come  up,  and  is  now  producing  a  luxuriant  crop. 

Mr.  S.  R.  Smith,  in  his  "Historid(p  Sketches,"  recently  pub- 
lished, seems  to  insinuate,  that  the  early  preachers  themselves 
were,  in  a  measure  at  least,  the  cause  of  their  own  pecuniary 
embarrassments  and  sufferings,  by  preaching  against  "  fat  salar- 
ies," &c.  It  may  be  so  ;  but  salaries  were  out  of  the  question 
among  Universalist  preachers,  under  the  state  of  society  in  this 
country  at  the  time  to  which  1  allude,  whether  they  preached 
against  salaries  or  not.  1  know  not  that  I  ever  preached  a  word 
against  salaries  ;  I  know  I  never  did  against  a  reasonable  salary  ; 
but  I  certainly  did  not  preach  for  the  sake  of  salary  ;  I  hope  and 
trust  I  had  a  higher  and  a  holier  object  in  view  than  mere  sala- 
ry. I  ever  felt  very  willing  to  receive  what  my  friends  freely 
gave,  and  was  always  very  thankful  for  it ;  but  I  never  could 
make  that  kind  of  contract  about  preaching  that  I  would  about 
bartering  commodities.  It  was  always  the  hardest  thing  in  the 
world  for  me  to  talk  about  salary  ;  and  I  ever  got  rid  of  it  with 
as  few  words  as  possible.  After  societies  were  formed,  and  in 
circumstances  to  do  something  for  their  preachers,  and  began  to 
iearn  that  preachers  were  subject  to  the  same  temporal  wants  as 
other  people,  and  began  to  say  something  about  paying  me  for 


166  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

my  labors,  my  uniform  practice  was  to  make  them  name  the 
amount  of  salary  themselves.  I  would  say  to  them,  "  I  have  a 
family  to  support,  and  if  I  devote  my  time  to  the  work  of  the 
ministry,  I  must  depend  on  that  for  their  suppDrt.  Now  jou. 
certainly  know,  as  well  as  I  do,  what  will  be  necessary  to  do 
that ;  and  so  much  I  should  be  glad  to  realize."  They  would 
name  a  certain  amount,  in  proportion  to  the  time  they  wished  me 
to  improve  among  them.  "  Well,  can  you  raise  that  ?"  "  Yes, 
we  think  we  can."  "  Well,  that  will  satisfy  me."  Sometimes 
it  would  be  subscribed,  and  sometimes  not;  and  when  sub- 
scribed, it  was  never  expected,  by  me,  that  it  would  all  be  paid  ; 
and  I  was  scarcely  ever  disappointed  in  that  respect.  Could  I 
this  moment  receive  the  arrearages  of  salary  voluntarily  offered 
by  societies  to  whom  I  have  preached  during  my  ministerial  la- 
bors, it  would  count  thousands  of  dollars.  But  whether  it  would 
make  me  really  any  happier,  is  quite  problematical;  neverthe- 
less it  would  surely  ease  the  labors  and  burdens  of  old  age,  if 
wisely  improved.  Some  who  subscribed  were  actually  Unable 
to  pay  without  injury  to  their  families,  others  were  negligent; 
and  I  would  never  allow  legal  process  to  be  resorted  to  for  the 
purpose  of  collecting  a  subscription  for  me.  An  incident  oc- 
curred, in  the  society  in  Whitestovvn,  in  an  early  day,  which  is 
v/orth  relating.  That  society,  immediately  after  organization, 
availed  themselves  of  the  l^ovisions  of  the  statute,  and  became 
a  body-corporate,  so  that  they  could  hold  property,  collect 
their  dues,  &c.  They  had  raised  a  sum  by  subscription  for  my 
services,  and  collected  it  all,  or  all  that  could  be  reasonably  col- 
lected, except  a  sum  of  four  dollars.  This  v/as  against  a  man 
of  property,  a  professed  Uuiversalist,  and  a  constant  attendant 
at  meeting,  bat  a  slack  man  in  paying  his  debts  generally.  The 
trustees  said  to  ms  one  day,  "  We  have  tried  to  get  Esq.  E's 
subscription  for  you,  but  he  is  never  ready  to  pay  it,  and  never 
will  be,  until  he  is  sued  ;  for  he  always  has  to  be  sued  before  he 
pays  a  debt.  You  need  it,  and  we  have  concluded  to  sue  for  it. 
'•Well,  brethren,"  I  said,  "you  can  sue  him,  I  very  well  know, 
and  can  collect  it  ;  and  you  may  do  it  as  soon  as  you  please  ; 
and  when  you  have  done  so,  use  it  yourselves,  for  I  will  never 
receive  a  cent  of  it  ;  I  will  never,  knowingly,  receive  any  thing 
for  preaching  that  is  collected  by  stress  of  law — I  will  starve 
first."  Whether  they  ever  told  him  what  I  said,  I  know  not  ;  but 
a  short  time  after  that  he  paid  it,  voluntarily,  and  I  was  glad  to 
receive  it. 

Brother  Smith  surely  knows  much  about  the  labor,  trials,  and 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  167 

embarrassments  that  attended  the  early  ministry  of  the  word  in 
the  State  of  New  York,  but  he  knows  not  all,  by  experience  ; 
times  had  materially  altered,  when  he  came  on  the  stage,  from 
what  they  were  when  I  first  commenced  itinerating  in  the  State. 
Although  he  penetrated  the  West  farther  than  any  of  us  had  pre- 
viously done,  still  those  very  inhabitants  had  emigrated  from  the 
east,  and  more  or  less  of  them  from  sections  where  the  doctrine 
had  been  preached,  and  were  therefore  better  prepared  to  give 
a  Universalist  preacher  at  least  a  civil  reception,  than  the  in- 
habitants of  Central  New  York  were  when  we  first  broke  in 
amoncf  them. 


CHAPTER  YIII. 


Organization  of  the  Western  Association  in  the  State  of  New  York— Complain* 
against  Mr.  M.  T.  Wooley — His  trial  and  expulsion— Anecdote  of  Mr. 
Flagg— Proceedings  printed  in  a  pamphlet— Haynes'  sermon  and  Ballou's 
letter — New  societies— General  Convention,  1806^Confab  with  a  Dutchman 
and  Yankee  school-master  in  Watervliet — Interview  with  Mr.  Lansing — 
Mr.  Vandenburg-Confab  with  Elder  William  Underwood-Mr.  Underwood's 
conversion — Removal  to  Whitestown-Interview  with  Elder  Calvin  Winslow 
— Mr.  Winslow's  conversion,  excommunication  from  the  Methodists,  charac- 
ter, &,c. — Society  organized  in  Western— Appointment  between  Whitesboro' 
and  Rome — Encounter  with  a  termagant — Association  in  1807 — Flattering 
prospects,  and  increased  opposition — Whitestown  society  invite  Mr.  Ballou 
to  settle  with  them — Mr.  Dean  engages  to  settle  in  Whitestown. 

As  the  season  approached  tliat  would  call  our  ministering 
brethren  froin  the  east  to  preach  with  us,  and  counsel  and  assist 
us  in  organizing  an  Association,  my  heart  beat  high  in  antici- 
pation of  peculiar  felicity.  I  could  hardly  wait  its  arrival.  All 
preparations  in  our  power  were  made  for  the  coming  event,  to 
render  it  as  satisfactory  as  possible  to  the  visiting  committee,  and 
profitable  to  the  glorious  cause,  by  securing  as  large  a  congre- 
gation as  we  could  induce  to  attend.  Delegates  from  three  so- 
cieties,  (for  only  three  yet  existed  within  the  limits  of  my  know- 
ledge  in  the  State  of  New  York,)  were  appointed.  Information 
of  the  meeting  was  widely  extended  through  all  the  country,  with 
earnest  invitations,  both  to  friends  and  opposers,  to  attend,  and 
as  ample  provision  was  made  for  their  entertainment  as  circum- 
stances would  admit.  Here  let  it  be  remembered,  that  although 
Brookfield,  Sangerfield,  and  Madison  have  been  named  as  sta- 
tions for  preaching,  yet  they  were  all  included  in  the  Hamilton 
society,  whose  appellation,  in  its  organization,  was  "  The  Uni. 
versalist  society  of  Hamilton  and  vicinity."  The  place  for  the 
meeting  was  appointed  in  Columbus,  Chenango  county ;  not  be- 
cause more  Universalists,  or  friends  to  the  cause,  were  there,  or 
even  as  many  as  in  other  places  ;  but  because  it  was  the  most 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  169 

central  location  we  could  obtain,  where  we  could  find  any  ac- 
commodation. No  Universalist  society  was,  at  that  time,  thought 
of  there  ;  but  Mr.  Wooley  had  preached  there  a  few  times  ;  and 
there  were  a  few  families  in  the  immediate  vicinity  who  were 
ready  to  do  all  they  could  for  the  accommodation  of  those  who 
should  assemble ;  and  whose  liberality  was  generous  and  ample. 
The  country  was  new  and  thinly  settled,  at  that  time,  and  no 
meeting-house  had  been  erected  in  that  region  by  any  denom- 
ination. But  two  brothers,  by  the  name  of  Lamb,  (the  youngest 
of  whom  is  now  a  judge,  and  still  occupies  the  same  house.)  had 
just  built  a  house,  designed  for  a  tavern,  with  a  pretty  extensive 
ball-room,  which  they  generously  offered  and  we  gratefully  ac- 
cepted, as  the  most  eligible  place  that  could  be  found.  And, 
here  we  assembled,  on  the  sixth  day  of  June,  1806,  and  were 
met  by  the  delegation  from  the  General  Convention.  Mr.  Ballou, 
Mr.  Farwell,  and  Mr.  Flagg ;  and  a  young  man  by  the  name 
of  Paul  Dean,  who  had  commenced  preaching  something  like  a 
year  before,  and  had  received  a  letter  of  fellowship  from  the 
General  Convention,  at  its  sesion  in  September  previous,  accom- 
panied Mr.  Ballou  from  Barnard,  Vermont.  And  here  was  or- 
ganized the  first  Association  of  Universalists  in  the  State,  which 
then  and  there  received  the  appellation  of  "  The  Western  Asso- 
ciation of  Universalists  in  the  State  of  New  York  ;"  and  this  was 
the  third  organization  of  the  kind  effected  in  America.  Four 
discourses  were  delivered  on  the  occasion,  one  by  Mr.  Flagg, 
one  by  Mr.  Dean,  and  two  by  Mr.  Ballou.  A  numerous  con- 
gregation, for  the  time  and  place,  were  in  attendance;  and  in 
the  afternoon  of  the  first  day,  and  both  parts  of  the  second,  we 
were  compelled  to  repair  to  the  adjacent  forest  for  our  religious 
exercises,  the  chamber  not  being  sufficiently  capacious  to  hold 
a  tenth  part  of  the  congregation.  The  weather  was  fine  for  the 
season  ;  and  we  found  ourselves  comfortably  accommodated,  with 
the  verdant  and  waving  foliage  of  a  dense  forest  to  screen  us  from 
the  scorching  rays  of  a  summer  sun,  and  the  trunks  and  frag- 
ments of  fallen  trees,  mostly  for  our  seats ;  and  here  we  listened 
with  intense  interest  and  fervent  gratification  to  the  preaching, 
which,  it  appeared  to  me,  was  almost  sufficiently  piercing  to  pen- 
etrate the  dark  vault  of  the  tomb,  and  powerful  enough  to  raise 
the  dead  to  life.  Heaven's  richest  spiritual  blessings  were  be- 
stowed with  a  liberal  hand ;  and  my  anticipations  of  felicity  on 
the  occasion  would  by  no  means  have  been  extravagant,  had  it 
not  been  for  one  occurrence,  which  I  shall  hereafter  have  to  re- 
cord. 


170  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

This  meeting  gave  courage,  confidence,  and  strength  to  our 
friends,  and  alarmed  our  enemies.  Such  a  congregation  of 
Universalist  preachers,  it  was  thought,  could  scarcely  have  been 
collected  together  in  the  wide  world  !  Why,  there  were  six  of 
them  together  !  And,  unexpectedly  to  me,  in  addition  to  the  so- 
cieties already  named,  a  delegation  from  a  society  in  Delaware 
county,  (I  suppose,  under  the  preaching  of  Mr,  Ferris,  though 
he  was  not  present.)  presented  credentials,  and  were  received 
into  fellowship ;  which  made  four  societies,  duly  represented. 
What  think  you,  brethren  in  the  ministry  ?  Would  such  a  meet- 
ing as  that  be  a  subject  of  extreme  congratulation  and  encour- 
agement  to  you  at  the  present  day?  But  so  it  was  to  us,  then. 
We  felt  that  it  was  the  "  Lord's  doing,  and  marvelous  in  our 
eyes."  We  received  it  as  a  pledge  of  divine  approbation,  and 
sure  confirmation  that  the  cause  would  prosper  in  our  hands; 
and,  like  Paul  when  he  met  the  brethren  at  "  Appii  Forum,  and 
tlie  Three  Taverns,"  we  "thanked  God,  and  took  courage." 

But,alas  !  while  citizens  of  this  changeable  and  changing  world, 
we  may  always  look  for  an  alloy  to  our  anticipated  enjoyment. 
Mr.  Wooley,  whom  I  have  already  named  as  the  instrument  of 
the  organization  of  the  first  Universalist  society  west  of  the  Hud- 
son river,  had  been,  at  least,  imprudent  in  his  conversation  and 
conduct.  He  was  aman  of  jealous  temperament,  and  frequent- 
ly, on  that  account,  abused  his  best  friends.  He  hailed  my  com- 
ing into  this  country  with  the  utmost  apparent  sincerity  and  cor- 
diality; introduced  me  to  his  society;  and,  in  the  strongest  man- 
ner, insisted  on  my  preaching  with  them.  But  soon  after  our 
meeting  at  Burlington,  for  causes  unknown  to  me,  and  which  I 
had  not  wisdom  enough  to  divine,  unless  it  was  on  account  of  my 
influencing  Mr.  Ferris  to  meet  with  us,  and  which  he  never  saw 
fit  to  sp'^ak  to  me  about,  or  in  any  way  attempt  to  explain,  he  be- 
came decidedly  unfriendly.  I  was  left  to  learn  it  from  our  mu- 
tual friends ;  for,  in  my  presence,  he  still  continued  to  manifest 
his  former  friendship.  But  1  could  often  hear  of  his  unfriendly 
remarks  in  regard  to  me,  of  the  invidious  epithets  that  he  used, 
and  his  untiring  efforts  to  render  me  ridiculous,  and  destroy  my 
influence ;  and  I  was  advised,  several  times,  to  enter  a  complaint 
against  him  to  the  Association.  But  I  uniformly  answered,  "  No 
— I  extremely  regret  Br.  Wooley  is  taking  such  a  course  ;  for  the 
cause  will  be  injured  thereby.  We  are  weak,  at  best,  and  need* 
all  our  united  and  friendly  co-operation  to  advance  the  cause  of 
divine  truth.  But  I  will  try  to  outlive  all  these  unjust  aspersions, 
and  pray  that  Brother  Wooley  may  neither  hurt  himself,  nor  the 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  '   171 

cause  in  which  we  are  engaged ;  for  I  feel  assured  that  he  can 
not  seriously  injure  me,  if  I  do  not  hurt  myself."  He  even  went 
so  far  as  to  represent,  in  a  letter  that  he  prepared  for  the  society 
in  Hartwick  to  the  General  Convention,  that  my  labors  were  in- 
jurious to  the  cause  in  that  section  of  country,  and  advised  the 
Convention  not  to  grant  me  ordination  ;  and  presented  this  letter 
to  the  clerk  of  the  society  for  his  signature  ;  but  he  would  not 
sign  it.  He  said,  however,  that  he  had  sufficient  influence  in 
the  Convention  to  prevent  my  ordination  ;  and  he  would  do  it. 
But  on  his  return  from  the  Convention,  which  was  several  weeks 
before  I  returned,  on  being  asked  if  I  was  ordainetl,  saifJ,  "Yes, 
that  hellish  club  of  Free  Masons  have  put  him  as  far  forward  as 
possible."  Still,  Mr.  Wooley  was  on  the  committee  of  ordina- 
tion before  which  I  was  examined;  and  so  far  from  raising  any 
objections  to  my  ordination,  or  manifesting  any  unfriendly  feel- 
ing toward  me  in  the  council,  every  word  and  every  act  of 
his  were  in  my  favor,  and  he  promoted  my  ordination  wit^  all 
the  influence  he  possessed.  His  conduct  was  most  inexplicable, 
and  a  source  of  the  greatest  trial  I  ever  experienced  in  all  my 
ministerial  labors.  I  could,  with  the  utmost  fortitude,  bear  the 
opposition,  the  scoffs,  the  sneers,  the  vituperations,  and  the  cal- 
umnies of  enemies,  and  almost  thank  God  that  I  was  worthy  to 
suffer  persecution  for  the  cause  of  Christ ;  but  when  professed 
friends,  and  especially  one  engaged  in  the  same  work,  holding 
fellowship  with  the  same  church,  bound  together  by  the  sacred 
ties  of  faith,  of  Christian  sympathy,  of  clerical  fellowship,  and 
whose  bonds  should  liave  been  strengthened  by  a  consideration 
of  the  vast  importance  of  the  work  in  which  we  were  engaged, 
and  the  opposition  we  were  doomed  to  encounter  from  a  malig- 
nant and  cruel  foe  ;  when  such  an  one  turned  his  heel  against 
me,  and,  like  Joab,  while  saluting  me  with  a  brother's  kiss,  had 
a  dagger  concealed  under  his  cloak,  to  stab  me  "  under  the  fifth 
rib,"  was  more  than  I  felt  able  to  bear.  And,  had  I  not  been 
fully  aware  that  Mr.  Wooley's  influence  was,  with  himself,  more 
imaginary  than  real — that  the  friends  of  the  cause  did  not  enter- 
tain so  high  an  opinion  of  his  talents  and  usefulness  as  he  did — 
that  his  standing  in  the  denomination  was  not  the  most  exalted, 
I  should  certainly  have  sunk  under  the  burden.  Moreover,  in 
addition  to  his  treatment  of  me,  he  was  engaged,  about  this  time, 
in  the  puerile  and  visionary  pursuit  of  digging  for  treasures  in 
the  earth.  He  and  several  others  had  formed  a  company,  and 
engaged  the  services  of  one  of  those  impostors  who,  by  looking 
into  a  mysterious  glass,  or  rather  stone,  pretended  to  be  able  to 


172  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

discover  hidden  treasures,  or  lost  things,  and  even  foretell  future 
events;  and  he  was  leading  them  about  from  place  to  place  to 
dig  for  subterraneous  wealth,  which  he  could  plainly  see  by  look- 
ing into  his  dark  hat,  having  this  stone  in  the  crown.  Mr.Wooley's 
friends  had  admonished  him  of  the  impropriety,  of  the  course  he 
was  pursuing,  of  the  injury  the  cause  would  sustain  by  it,  and 
its  disadvantage  to  himself  in  particular.  They  represented  to 
him  the  great  probability  that  this  man  was  a  gross  impostor,  and 
practicing  this  deception  upon  his  too-credulous  employers  to 
gratify  his  idleness  and  his  avarice.  But  this  only  vexed  Mr. 
Wooley,*and  led  him  to  make  some  very  unwise  and  unchristian 
expressions. 

Without  the  least  previous  knowledge  of  mine,  or  even  a  hint 
that  such  a  thing  was  in  agitation,  at  an  early  session  of  the  coun- 
cil after  its  organization,  a  gentleman  residing  in  Columbus,  and 
an  ardent  friend  to  the  cause,  presented  a  written  complaint, 
founded  upon  the  circumstances  above  related.  This  was  a 
source  of  grief,  and  indeed  of  mortification  to  the  whole  council, 
and  a  severe  drawback  upon  our  enjoyment.  But  it  was  just; 
the  council  were  obliged  to  receive  the  complaint,  and  Mr. 
Wooley  was  called  to  answer  to  it.  He  pleaded  that  he  was 
not  prepared  to  meet  the  allegations  and  defend  himself,  neither 
could  he  be  during  this  session ;  and  wished  to  appeal  to  the 
General  Convention  for  his  trial,  at  its  next  session.  This  re- 
quest was  readily  granted  ;  but  at  the  next  session  of  the  General 
Convention,  Mr.  Wooley  did  not  appear.  The  case  was  called 
up,  the  evidence  examined,  and  Mr.  W.  was  suspended  from 
fellowship  for  one  year  ;  but  the  privilege  granted  him  to  appear 
at  the  next  meeting  of  the  Convention,  to  vindicate  and  clear  him- 
self  from  the  charges  brought  against  him,  if  he  should  be  able. 
The  next  Convention,  however,  Mr.  Wooley  did  not  see  fit  to  at- 
tend^ either  personally  or  by  proxy  ;  and  hearing  nothing  from 
him,  the  hand  of  fellowship  was  finally  withdraw^ai ;  and  he  never 
afterward  took  any  measures  to  renew  his  standing  in  the  con- 
nection, although  he  continued  to  hold  meetings  for  several  years, 
more  or  less,  after  his  expulsion. 

The  position  of  Mr.  Wooley  left  me  substantially  alone  in 
this  region ;  for  Mr.  Ferris  was  too  deeply  engaged  in  his  secu- 
lar affairs  to  pay  much  attention,  or  devote  much  time  to  preach- 
ing. But,  strange  as  it  may  appear,  Mr.  Wooley  manifested 
more  friendship  after  this,  than  he  had  at  any  time  since  his  ali- 
enation ;  and  was  of  more  service  to  me,  in  recommending  my 
labors,  and  trying  to  introduce  me  into  different  places  to  pro- 
claim the  word. 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  173 

At  the  time  the  committee  was  appointed,  by  the  General  Con- 
vention, to  visit  us  in  New  York  and  organize  an  Association,  I 
requested  Mr.  Flagg,  whose  time  was  not  so  closely  occupied 
as  some  others,  to  make  arrangements  to  remain  a  season  in  our 
country,  even  all  summer  if  he  could,  as  there  was  a  "  great  and 
effectual  door  opened  "  for  the  preached  word,  "  and  many  op- 
posers,"  and  laborers  but  few  and  feeble.  He  made  his  arrange- 
ments accordingly,  and  did  remain  among  us  somewhat  over 
one  montli.  During  that  time,  he  preached  to  great  acceptance 
in  many  places,  delivered  an  address  to  the  friends  in  Columbus, 
on  the  fourth  of  July,  which  was  highly  extolled  ;  and  was  ear- 
nestly  solicited  to  remain  longer ;  but,  for  reasons  known  only 
to  himself,  declined,  and  returned  to  New  England  in  the  month 
of  July. 

There  is  an  anecdote  in  regard  to  Mr.  Flag-o-,  which  I  think 
worth  relating,  and  which  is  at  least  amusing,  and  not  wholly 
without  instruction.  While  in  Cooperstown,  where  Mr.  Flagg 
had  been  preaching,  he  fell  in  company  with  Mr.  Aplin,  a  rigid 
Calvinist,  and  deacon  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  with  whom  he 
had  a  desultory  controversy.  The  deacon  soon  found  himself 
in  difficulty  ;  and  becoming  vexed,  which  is  generally  the  case 
with  violent  opposers,  when  they  find  themselves  so  crossed  in 
argument  that  they  can  not  extricate  themselves,  began  to  rail 
against  the  doctrine  because  of  its  licentious  tendency ;  "  Why," 
said  he,  "if  I  believed  your  doctrine,  Mr.  Flagg,  I  should  feel 
]io  restraint — I  would  give  loose  to  all  my  passions  and  propensi- 
ties, and  gratify  them  to  the  full  extent — I  would  steal,  murder, 
rob,  or  do  any  thing  I  felt  disposed  to  do."  Mr.  Flagg  was  some- 
times pretty  severe,  especially  on  a  bigoted,  uncivil,  and  stormy- 
opponent ;  and  being  a  large,  stern -looking  man,  he  fixed  his 
piercing  eye  on  the  deacon,  and  replied,  "  Deacon  A.,  I  believe 
it — I  believe  every  word  you  say — I  believe  you  have  as  corrupt 
a  heart  as  you  say  you  have  ;  and  God  knows  what  a  rascal  you 
are ;  and  he  has  hid  the  truth  from  your  eyes,  to  prevent  you 
from  committing  those  atrocious  crimes."  The  deacon  quailed 
under  the  stern  gaze  and  severe  rebuke  of  Mr.  F.,  and  withdrew 
from  the  contest ;  no  doubt  ashamed  of  the  horrible  confession 
he  had  unwittingly  made. 

After  the  close  of  the  Association,  which  adjourned  to  the  first 
Wednesday  and  Thursday  in  June,  1807  ;  then  to  hold  a  session 
in  New  Hartford,  Oneida  county ;  Mr.  Ballou  went  with  me  to 
my  residence  in  Brookfield,  where  he  delivered  a  discourse. 
From  thence  he  went  to  New  Hartford  and  Utica,  preached  in 


174  MEMOIRS     OF    THE 

each  of  those  places,  and  then  returned  to  his  residence  in  Bar- 
nard, Vermont.  After  Mr.  Flagg  returned  to  Massachusetts,  I 
was  again  left  alone,  even  more  solitary  than  ever  before,  in  this 
enlarging  field  of  operation  ;  for  I  could  no  longer  associate  with 
Mr.  Wooley,  as  I  iiad,  in  some  measure,  heretofore  always  done, 
notwith  stand  hi  g  his  unkind  treatment;  and,  indeed,  the  friends 
in  this  immediate  region  would  no  longer  countenance  his  at- 
tempts to  hold  meetings  among  them ;  therefore,  if  he  preached 
at  all,  it  must  have  been  in  some  remote  place.  About  this  time, 
or  soon  after  this,  he  made  some  journeys  into  the  Genesee  coun- 
try, and  preached  in  several  places,  then  far  west  of  my  travels. 
Mr.  Ferris  traveled  none,  of  any  account,  and  preached  but  little. 
But  I  had  enjoyed  "  a  feast  of  fat  things ,"  which  renewed  my 
strength,  and  gave  me  fortitude  and  courage  to  meet  the  opposi- 
tion, although  alone,  and  fight,  fearlessly,  the  battles  of  the  Lord, 
under  the  unfurled  banner  of  his  love.  We  adopted  the  prac- 
tice at  our  first  Association,  of  publishing  our  proceedings  in  a 
pamphlet,  accompanied  by  a  general  epistle,  or  circular  letter, 
to  the  societies,  which  was  distributed  among  our  friends,  and 
also  among  as  many  of  our  opposers,  as  we  could  induce  to  read 
it,  gratuitously ;  and  this  practice  was  continued  until  periodi- 
cals were  so  established  in  our  denomination  as  to  supersede  the 
necessity,  or  even  utility,  of  this  course.  And  this  practice  proved 
a  very  efficient  means  of  advancing  the  cause,  by  diffusing  in- 
formation, not  only  in  regard  to  our  order,  but  also  in  respect  to 
doctrine,  among  many  vviio  had  not  the  moral  courage  to  attend 
our  meetings^  even  when  convenient  for  them  to  do  so. 

Some  time  in  the  course  of  the  previous  year,  Mr.  Ballou  had 
delivered  a  discourse  in  the  meeting-house  in  West  Rutland, 
Vermont,  where  the  mulatto,  Rev.  Lemuel  Haynes,  was  settled, 
which  called  forth  Haynes'  memorable  discourse  against  Uni- 
versalism.  This  discourse  was  immediately  published,  and  re- 
published, through  several  editions,  and  circulated  vv^ith  the  ra- 
pidity of  lightning,  almost,  through  the  length  and  breadth  of  our 
country.  It  was  extolled  from  the  pulpit,  and  recommended  by 
many  newspapers,  as  a  complete  exposition,  refutation,  and  ex- 
plosion  of  Universalism ;  and  highly  applauded  in  an  Orthodox 
periodical,  the  first  I  ever  saw,  entitled,  if  my  memory  serves 
me,  the  "Christian  Panoplist,"  and  recommended  to  the  perusal 
of  all,  but  especially  to  such  as  had  not  time  to  read  the  Bible 
in  reference  to  the  subject !  I  found  it  in  almost  every  place 
where  I  went ;  it  was  thrown  in  my  face  by  almost  every  saucy 
boy,  quarrelsome  man,  and  petulent  old  woman  that  1  met.     It 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL     STACY.  175 

happened,  very  fortunately,  that  Mr.  Ballou  brought  with  him 
into  that  country,  a  few  of  his  letters  addressed  to  Haynes  on 
the  subject.  1  therefore  purchased  one  of  Haynes'  pamphlets, 
attached  it  to  Mr.  Ballou's  letters,  and  got  five  hundred  printed; 
and  scattered  them  through  the  country,  wherever  1  went.  This 
had  the  desired  effect.  It  not  only  put  a  stop  to  the  exultation  of 
opposers  over  Haynes'  production,  in  that  region ;  but  it  showed 
so  plainly  the  absurdity  of  that  tissue  of  low  satire  and  black- 
guardism, as  well  as  the  unchristian  and  uncivil  course  pursued 
by  the  author,  that  it  actually  produced  a  reaction,  arjd  led  hun- 
dreds to  reflect ;  and  paved  the  way  for  them  to  burst  the  man- 
acles of  bigotry  and  superstition,  and  come  into  the  liberty  of  the 
Gospel.  Thus  was  the  wrath  of  man  made  to  praise  the  Lord. 
Mr.  Ballou  also  brought  with  him  a  few  copies  of  his  "  Treatise 
on  Atonement,"  then  just  published,  and  a  few  copies  of  his 
"Notes  on  the  Parables,"  first  edition,  in  pamphlet  form.  These 
were  of  immense  value  to  the  cause ;  for  as  yet,  no  books,  or 
nearly  none,  on  the  subject  of  Universalism,  were  to  be  found  in 
all  that  country ;  while  it  was  being  inundated  with  Partialist 
writings  of  almost  every  description.  I  believe  I  had  found  one 
eopy  of  Dr.  Huntington's  posthumous  work,  "Calvinism  Im- 
proved," and  perhaps  two  or  three  copies  of  "  Winchester's  Dia- 
logues ;"  and  I  do  not  recollect  of  meeting  with  any  other  works  in 
favor  of  Universalism,  in  the  hands  of  any  individual  in  all  that 
region  of  country. 

During  the  year  intervening  between  the  sessions  of  our  As- 
sociation, my  labor  was  as  incessant  as  in  any  period  of  my  life. 
I  regularly  supplied  the  societies  and  congregations  in  Hamilton, 
Sangerfield,  Whitestown  and  Hartwick,  and  lectured  several 
times  in  the  course  of  the  week,  extending  my  travels  very  con- 
siderably beyond  their  former  limits.  I  found  also  many  more 
places,  within  the  limits  of  my  former  travels,  and  even  beyond 
them.  The  doctrine  of  the  Great  Salvation  was  this  year  in- 
troduced into  the  towns  of  Paris,Bridgewater,Deerfield, Litchfield, 
Westmoreland,  Rome,  Western,  Floyd,  Eaton,  and  Norwich, 
besides  the  villages  of  Utica,  Whitesboro',  and  Clinton  ;  and  va- 
rious other  neighborhoods  in  the  towns  of  Hamilton,  Madison, 
and  Sangerfield,  where  I  could  never  before  gain  admittance  ; 
for  the  Gospel,  in  order  to  succeed,  must  "be  carried  to  every 
man's  door.  I  cheerfully  answered  every  call  I  could  possibly 
find  time  to  attend  to,  even  from  the  smallest  settlement;  and 
felt  abundantly  rewarded  if  I  could  get  ten  or  a  dozen  willing  to 
listen  to  my  message  ;  and  in  the  course  of  the  year,  a  number 


176  MEMOIRS   OF    THE 

of  respectable  congregations  were  fiot  up  in  different  places,  and 
societies  organized  in  the  towns  of  Madison,  Eaton,  and  Western. 
In  September,  this  year,  (1806)  the  General  Convention  held 
its  session  in  the  village  of  Hoosick  Falls,  N.  Y.     My  wife  had 
two  brothers  residing  in  that  region,  one  within  the  limits  of  the 
town  of  Hoosick,  and  the  other  near  the  mouth  of  the  Mohawk 
River,  in  Watervliet.     She  therefore  accompanied  me  ;  and  we 
spent  the  Sunday  after  the  Convention  in  Watervliet.     The  in- 
habitants  of  this  place,  with  the  exception  of  one  or  two  fami- 
lies,  were  Dutch,  and  very  bigoted  and  superstitious.     But  at  the 
request  of  a  few  friends,  an  appointment  for  a   meeting  was 
given  out ;  and,  contrary  to  my  expectations,  quite  a  respec- 
table congregation,  for  numbers,  assembled.     This,  I  believe, 
was  the  first  discourse  ever  delivered  by  a  Universalist  in  that 
place,  and  it  produced  somewhat  of  an  excitement;  and  after 
the  close  of  the  exercise,  several  individuals  manifested  quite  a 
pugnacious  spirit,  and  unceremoniously  commenced  an  attack. 
Among  the  most  forward  was  an  old  Dutchman,  by  the  name  of 
Canute,  quite  a  shrewd  and  intelligent  man.      But  the  old  gentle- 
man  soon  became  very  angry,  and   indulged  in    unmeasured 
abuse.     This  so  disturbed  my  sister-in-law,  in  whose  house  our 
meeting  had  been  held,  and  where  we  still  remained,  that  with 
some  spirit  she  interrupted  the  conversation,  by  saying,  ^-  Mr. 
Canute,  Mr.  Stacy  is  my  brother !"     The  old  gentlemen  rather 
petulently  replied,  "  Vel,  den,  sho  wash  Cain  prother  to  Apel." 
This  produced  some  risibility  ;  and  I  had  to  tell  my  sister  not 
to  be  disturbed — Mr.  C.  could  not  offend  me.  But  a  more  formi- 
dable antagonist  now  interposed,  a  bigoted,  self-conceited  Y  ankee 
school-master.     He  charged  me  with  taking  advantage  of  Mr. 
C,  because  he  did  not  understand  the  English  language.  "Per- 
haps,  sir,"  said  I,  "  you  would  like  to  take  Mr.  Canute's  place." 
No  sooner  was  this  said,  than  Mr.  C.  withdrew,  and  the  Yankee 
school-master,  with  all  the  pomposity  of  a  pedant,  and  the  as- 
surance of  a  bravado,  seated  himself  before  me,/oo^  to  foot  and 
knee  to  knee,  and  resumed  the  argument.     But  in  less  than  half 
of  the  time  which  Mr.  C.  occupied,  he  arose  and  left  the  house 
in  a  rage.     Fie  v/as  totally  ignorant  of  the  Scriptures,  and  desti- 
tute of  all  knowledge  of  the  nature  of  an  argument.     During 
the  meeting,  I  noticed  a  young  man  manifestly  giving  profound 
attention  to  the  discourse  ;  he  also  remained  during  the  discus- 
sion, and  paid  close  attention ;  but  did  not  introduce  a  word,  pro 
or  con.     On  the  next  day,  this  young  man,  (he  was  a  Dutch- 
man,) came  and  very  civilly  accosted  me,  saying,  that  he  at- 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  177 

vended  my  meeting  yesterday,  and  also  heard  the  discussion  be- 
tween  me  and  Mr.  Canute,  and  the  school-master;  and  he  un- 
derstood  me  to  say.  that  the  phrase  endless  punishinenf.  could  not 
be  found  in  the  Bible  ;  and  that  there  could  not  a  word  be  found, 
either  in  the  English  or  Greek  Testament,  that  primarily  and 
necessarily  meant-  endless,  when  applied  to  punishment.  He 
said,  he  was  a  professor  of  religion,  and  an  inquirer  after  truth. 
He  had  supposed  that  endless  punishment  was  a  prominent  doc- 
trine of  the  Bible  ;  but  if  it  were  not  so,  he  certainly  wished  to 
know  it.  And  as  he  felt  incapable  of  holding  an  argument,  he 
had  persuaded  a  gentleman  of  learning  to  accompany  him ; 
and,  if  1  felt  willing,  he  wished  us  to  discuss  the  question  in  his 
presence.  He  said,  he  was  a  gentleman  and  a  Christian,  and 
would  use  me  politely,  if  I  would  permit  him  to  introduce  him 
to  me.  1  replied,  I  should  be  very  happy  to  discourse  with  him  ; 
and  he  invited  him  into  the  room,  and  introduced  him.  If  my 
memory  be  correct,  (but  I  am  not  very  positive,  in  this  particu- 
lar,) his  name  was  Lansing.  He  also  was  a  Dutchman.  I  found 
him  to  be  a  man  of  classical  education,  and  a  gentleman ;  and 
he  certainly  demeaned  himself  like  a  Christian.  He  immedi- 
ately directed  my  attention  to  the  twenty  fifth  chapter  of  Mat- 
thew— the  parable  of  the  sheep  and  the  goats.  But  in  less  than 
twenty  minutes,  I  made  him  acknowledge,  that  the  word  aionion, 
applied  both  to  the  happiness  of  the  righteous  and  the  punishment 
of  the  wicked,  did  not  necessarily  mean  endless  ;  but  actually 
was,  in  most  cases,  applied  to  things  of  limited  diiration  ;  and,  as 
he  could  find  no  word  stronger  than  that,  applied  to  punishment, 
he  gave  up  the  argument  in  my  favor,  and  pursued  no  further 
the  subject  of  endless  punishment  with  me. 

A  number  of  years  after  the  above-mentioned  incident,  at  a 
meeting  of  the  Western  Association,  in  Hamilton,  a  gentleman 
by  the  name  of  Vandenburg  applied  for  a  letter  of  fellowship  ; 
and  after  examination,  in  v/hich  he  was  found  worthy,  and  his 
request  granted,  he  took  occasion  to  remind  me  of  the  foregoing 
circumstance.  He  told  me  he  was  the  young  man  who  desired 
the  interview,  and  observed,  that  the  discourse  and  the  discussion 
to  which  he  listened  at  that  time,  resulted  in  inducing  him  to  en- 
ter into  a  close  and  critical  examination  of  the  Bible  on  the  sub- 
ject ;  and  it  was  but  a  short  time  before  lie  became  firmly  estab- 
lished in  the  doctrine,  and  felt  an  irresistible  desire  to  proclaim 
it  to  the  world.  He  was  shortly  after  solemnly  ordained  to  the 
sacred  work  of  the  ministry  of  reconciliation,  in  the  town  of 
Pompey,  Onondaga  county,  N.  Y.,  near  which,  I  believe,  he 

L 


17S  MEMOIRS   OF    THE 

Still  resides ;  and  remains  faithful  to  his  divine  Master,  and  his 
holy  profession.  This,  and  similar  circumstances  which  fre- 
quently occurred,  always  renewed  my  courage,  and  inspired  a 
spirit  of  perseverance.  I  discovered  that,  although  seed  might 
be  sown  under  the  most  untoward  and  unpromising  circum- 
stances, yet  there  might  be  spots  of  good  ground  to  receive  some 
small  part  of  it,  which  would  germinate,  and  in  due  time  yield  a 
profitable  harvest. 

On  my  second  visit  to  the  toM'n  of  Litchfield,  Herkimer  county, 
in  the  autumn  of  this  year,  an  occurrence  took  place  of  some 
interest,  which,  like  almost  every  attempt  of  the  opposers  to  crush 
the  truth,  proved  essentially  advantageous  to  the  establishment 
of  the  cause  in  that  place.  I  had  previously  delivered  a  single 
lecture  within  the  limits  of  that  town,  in  the  dwelling-house  of 
James  Gage,  Esq.;  but  now  the  appointment  was  made  for  a 
meeting  in  a  school-house  in  one  of  the  most  populous  settlements 
in  the  town,  and  in  close  proximity  to  the  Presbyterian  meeting- 
house, the  center  of  that  society.  There  was  also  a  Baptist  so- 
ciety and  church  in  the  immediate  vicinity,  and  a  clergyman  of 
the  order  residing  in  the  neighborhood.  This  invasion  upon  their 
premises  alarmed  them.  Something  must  be  done.  The  prowl- 
ing wolf  wa.s  about  to  venture  into  the  midst  of  their  flocks,  and 
even  in  their  presence  attempt  to  seize  their  sheep  !  A  meeting 
was  called,  as  I  wassubsequently  circumstantially  informed,  and 
measures  adopted  to  effectually  oppose  and  drive  the  presump- 
tuous intruder  from  their  borders.  Pilot  and  Herod  were  that 
day  made  friends.  The  consultation  was  mutual  between  the 
two  denominations,  and  the  result  was,  that  Elder  William  Un- 
derwood, the  Baptist  minister,  vv'ith  the  aid  of  two  deacons,  one 
Baptist  and  one  Presbyterian,  should  attend  the  meeting,  and  give 
battle  to  the  stripling,  whom  they  understood  was  a  mere  boy. 
All  this,  however,  was  kept  a  profound  secret  from  me,  at  the 
time,  and  also  as  much  as  possible  from  my  friends.  At  length 
the  day  arrived,  and  a  crowded  congregation  filled  the  house. 
The  Elder  with  his  two  aids,  one  on  each  side,  placed  himself 
on  the  other  side  of  the  room,  directly  opposite  to  me.  I  was  not 
introduced  to  them,  and  consequently  was  unable  to  distinguish 
them  from  others,  until  they  arose  for  combat.  The  text  I  made 
use  of  was  Mark,  16  :  15,  16.  They  considered  this  as  a  knock- 
down text,  and  sufficient,  of  itself,  to  refute  Universalism.  How- 
ever, I  had  the  temerity  to  approach  it,  and  delivered  a  pretty 
long  discourse  upon  it,  with  as  much  freedom  of  speech  as  I  ever 
enjoyed.     At  the  close,  1  gave  liberty  for  remarks,  or  questions, 


LIFE   OF   REV.   NATHANIEL   STACY.  179 

'^tA  took  my  seat.  But  my  opposers  were  not  quick  to  rise» 
The  deacons  began  to  jog  Mr.  Underwood,  and  whisper  "Come, 
.get  up,"  as  the  Elder  subsequently  informed  me.  But  he  whis- 
pered back,  "  What  shall  we  do  ?  This  is  something  new — we 
are  not  prepared  for  it."  But  they  replied,  "  Something  must  be 
done— get  up  and  oppose  it."  So  up  Mr.  U.  arose,  and  stam- 
mered out  sometliing,  and  quoted  two  or  three  passages  of  Scrip- 
ture. But  his  discourse  was  short,  and,  I  thought,  his  arguments 
very  feeble.  I  replied  briefly,  however,  to  what  he  said.  Fie 
then  remarked,  that  there  was  a  boy  in  the  house,  who  had  com- 
mitted to  memory  a  poem  which  he  thought  very  descriptive,  and 
very  clearly  illustrated  Universalism  ;  and  he  motioned  that  the 
boy  be  called  upon  to  rise  and  repeat  it.  No  remark  was  made 
in  reply,  and  the  boy  was  placed  upon  a  bench,  and  commenced 
repeating  the  same  obscene  satire,  mentioned  heretofore  as  the 
closing  exercise  of  Elder  Morton.  When  the  boy  had  repeated 
one  stanza,  I  arose  and  stopped  him ;  and  told  the  congregation, 
that  I  had  once  heard  that  tilthy  production,  and  must  be  excused 
from  hearing  it  a  second  time — it  was  too  obscene  to  be  repeated 
in  public ;  but  if  the}^  chose  to  hear  it,  I  would  retire  until  the 
boy  had  concluded  his  exhibition ;  and  then  return  and  answer 
questions,  candidly  proposed,  as  long  as  they  desired.  The  faces 
of  the  clergyman  and  deacons  were  instantly  suffused  wnth  shame, 
and  the  boy  was  pulled  off  the  bench.  No  farther  questions 
were  proposed,  nor  opposition  attempted ;  and,  after  waiting  a 
reasonable  time,  I  dismissed  the  congregation.  I  had  a  few  words 
of  conversation  with  the  Elder  and  his  deacons  after  the  people 
were  dismissed  ;  and  it  was  perfectly  evident  that  they,  too  late, 
discovered  that  the  course  they  had  taken  was  calculated  to  have 
H,  contrary  efl'ect  from  what  they  designed. 

From  this  time,  I  saw  no  more  of  Mr.  Underwood  for  nearly 
three  years  ;  although  I  frequently  held  meetings  in  Litchfield, 
and  sometimes  in  his  immediate  neighborhood  ;  but  he  never 
again  attended  my  meeting,  until  he  became  an  advocate  of  the 
faith  he  once  attempted  to  destroy.  After  Mr.  Dean's  settlement 
in  New  Hartford,  we  frequently  lectured  in  Litchfield  ;  and  I 
was  told  that  Mr.  Underwood  attended  his  meetings  several  times, 
and  had  several  interviews  with  him.  About  three  years  after 
the  above-mentioned  interview  with  Mr.  U.,  and  after  mv  removal 
to  the  town  of  Hamilton,  a  neighbor  of  mine,  Mr.  Stevens,  dea- 
con of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  a  rigid,  sour  sectarian,  sent 
his  son  very  early  one  morning  to  my  house,  with  a  request  that 
I  should  immediately  call   there.       This  was  unaccountably 


180  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

Strange  !  I  could  never  persuade  the  deacon  to  hold  any  more 
intercourse  with  me,  than  a  Jew  would  hold  with  a  Samaritan. 
"What,"  said  I  to  the  boy,  "does  your  father  wish  of  me?" 
"  There  is  a  minister,"  he  replied,  "  that  wishes  to  talk  with  you." 
"  What  minister  is  it  ?  "  I  inquired.  "  Mr.  Underwood,"  said  he. 
"  Well,"  said  I,  "  you  may  return  my  answer,  that  I  will  come 
as  soon  as  I  have  taken  breakfast."  When  the  boy  had  gone,  I 
told  my  wife  wlio  this  Mr.  Underwood  must  be,  and,  said  I,  "  you 
must  go  with  me  ;  for  no  doubt  I  have  got  to  have  a  severe  battle." 
We  went — but  instead  of  a  battle,  and  to  the  very  great  aston- 
ishment of  tlie  deacon  and  his  wife,  all  I  had  to  do  was  to  sit  and 
hear  the  Elder  preach  Universalism,  with  all  the  eloquence  he 
was  master  of,  for  the  period  of  half  a  day.  He  said,  "  I  am  not 
a  Universalist ;  but  I  have  found  some  flaws  in  my  former  creed, 
and  I  have  abandoned  all  creeds,  and  am  resolved  to  search  im- 
partially, and,  God  being  my  helper,  to  follow  on  till  I  find  the 
truth."  I  merely  replied,  "  You  are  doing  well.  Brother  Under- 
wood— God  speed  you — you  will  end  right."  This  was  in  the 
winter.  I  was,  at  this  time,  under  engagement  to  preach  one 
Sunday  in  each  month  in  Litchfield,  about  six  miles  from  the 
residence  of  Mr.  U.,  and  on  a  Sunday  in  the  fore  part  of  the  fol- 
lowing summer,  being  a  little  behind  time  in  the  morning,  when  I 
arrived  at  the  school-house  where  our  meetings  were  holden,  Mr. 
Underwood  had  opened  the  meeting  by  prayer.  He  declined 
my  invitation  to  him  to  preach,  but  cheerfully  associated  in  the 
other  exercises  of  worship,  and  openly  avowed  his  faith  in  the 
final  Restitution.  I  went  home  with  him  after  meeting,  and  for 
the  first  time  visited  his  family.  I  found  his  wife  also  in  the  faith, 
and  rather  in  advance  of  her  husband ;  and  they  both  affirmed, 
that  they  felt  vastly  happier,  more  reconciled  to  the  divine  gov- 
ernment, loved  God  better,  and  felt  a  more  expansive  and  endu- 
ring affection  for  mankind  than  they  did,  or  could,  in  their  for- 
mer faith,  or  even  thought  it  possible  to  experience.  He  was  a 
man  then  passing  the  meridian  of  life  :  had  been  a  Baptist 
preacher  for  many  years;  but  he  had  now  entered  a  new  and  a 
more  delightful  field  of  labor.  After  a  suitable  season,  he  joined 
the  Universalist  connection,  became  a  zealous  and  useful  laborer 
in  the  vineyard,  and  lived  and  died  rejoicing  in  the  faith. 

On  the  first  of  January,  1807,  by  the  urgent  solicitation  of  the 
society  in  Whitestown,  I  removed  my  family  into  that  town. 
This,  however,  caused  no  alteration  in  my  labors  and  itinerations. 
I  continued  to  supply  the  societies  with  whom  I  had  before  la- 
bored nearly  in  the  same  ratio,  devoting  a  little  more  time,  how- 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  181 

ever,  to  Whitestown  and  vicinity.  I  had  received  several  ur- 
gent calls  to  hold  a  meeting  in  the  town  of  Eaton,  Madison  county, 
but  hitherto  had  found  no  opportunity  to  answer  them.  In  the 
month  of  March ,  however,  1  sent  them  an  appointment,  and  with 
much  labor  and  fatigue,  over  roads  well  surcharged  with  mud, 
I  was  enabled  to  fulfil  the  engagement.  The  distance  was  about 
twenty  miles,  and  the  hour  of  appointment  had  passed  by,  fifteen 
or  twenty  minutes  before  I  arrived,  which  caused  considerable 
solicitude  by  my  friends.  As  I  came  within  sight  of  the  school- 
house,  in  what  was  called  Log  City,  then  the  most  populous  set- 
tlement  in  the  town,  I  discovered  quite  a  large  concourse  of  peo- 
ple in  front  of  the  house,  and  suddenly  two  individuals  emerged 
from  the  crowd,  and  met  me  at  the  distance  of  thirty  or  forty 
rods.  They  said  some  fears  had  been  indulged,  and  some  im- 
patience manifested  ;  and  they  wanted  me  to  make  no  delay,  lest 
the  people  should  begin  to  retire.  Therefore,  one  took  my  horse, 
and  the  other,  without  introducing  me  to  an  individual,  conducted 
me  into  the  house.  I  noticed  a  gentleman,  very  active  and  offi- 
cious in  seating  the  people,  (who  soon  filled  the  house,  though  the 
principal  part  found  seats  of  some  sort,)  and  trying  to  arrange 
things  for  the  convenience  of  the  congregation,  who,  on  comple- 
ting his  task,  seated  himself  on  the  other  side  of  the  room,  di- 
rectly  opposite  to  me.  His  movements  naturally  arrested  my 
attention,  and  his  location  in  the  assembly  rendered  him  an  ob- 
ject of  my  special  attention.  I  could  not  detect  his  eyes  turned 
from  me  during  the  whole  discourse  ;  and  his  emotions  were 
more  visible  than  I  had  ever  before  witnessed  in  any  man  living. 
Sometimes,  his  sides  would  shake  with  laughter,  and,  at  others, 
tears  would  run  in  rivers  down  his  cheeks.  As  soon  as  the  con- 
gregation were  dismissed,  he  crowded  his  way  to  me.  and,  taking 
me  by  the  hand  most  cordially, said,  "I  wish  to  introduce  myself 
to  you,  sir,  as  a  Methodist  preacher,  by  the  name  of  Calvin  Wins- 
low."  He  then  gave  me  a  most  pressing  invitation  to  go  home 
with  him — he  resided  about  a  mile  distant.  This  1  had  to  decline, 
as  I  had  other  engagements  for  the  evening;  but,  before  I  left 
the  town,  I  made  him  a  visit. 

Mr.  Winslow  was  a  popular  preacher  among  the  Methodists, 
and  had  been  a  most  virulent  enemy  of  Universalism.  He  was 
an  illiterate  man,  but  possessed  strong  natiiral  talents,  was  quite 
eloquent  in  his  way,  and  could  be  cuttingly  satirical ;  and  he 
failed  not  to  employ  this  talent  freely  upon  Calvinism  and  Uni- 
versalism. I  will  give  an  illustration.  In  a  sermon,  not  long 
previous  to  my  first  acquaintance  with  him,  after  belaboring  Cal- 


iS2  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

vinism  with  all  the  vindictive  feelings  of  an  enraged  soul,  he 
closed  by  exclaiming,  "Here,  Calvinism!  get  out  at  the  back 
door,  to  black  damnation — to  your  mother  hell !"  Then  turning 
upon  Universalism,  he  whipped  that  with  the  lashes  of  his  fiery  . 
tongue,  as  long  as  he  could  find  expressions  bad  enough,  when, 
with  a  bitter  sneer,  lie  wound  off  by  saying,  "  And  you,  Univer- 
salist,  how  you'll  look,  after  you  have  been  in  hell  forty  nine  thou- 
sand years,  and  helped  Winchester  build  a  bridge  across  the 
impassable  gulph — how  you'll  look  like  a  parcel  of  scorched 
toads,  hopping  about  in  heaven,  and  singing  praises  to  hell-fire  !'" 

But  God  had  prepared  Mr,  Winslow  to  feel  a  different  spirit, 
at  that  time.  He  had  just  buried  a  beloved  child,  and  his  feel- 
ings were  very  tender  and  susceptible.  On  my  visit  to  him,  I 
was  accompanied  by  several  others  who  wished  to  hear  the  dis- 
cussion, for  they  expected  to  hear  a  warm  controversy.  I  found 
him  very  little  inclined  for  disputation,  but  quite  disposed  to  make 
inquiry.  He  did,  indeed,  commence  a  trifling  controversy  ;  but 
in  an  exceedingly  mild  way ;  and  manifested  no  disposition  to» 
continue  it,  but  turned  the  conversation  wholly  to  inquiry,  with- 
out attempting  a  reply.  Our  friends  who  went  with  me  were 
very  much  disappointed  at  the  result  of  our  meeting,  but  the  in- 
terview was  a  very  pleasant  one.  He  informed  me  of  his  afflic- 
tive bereavement.  We  united  in  prayer,  and  separated  with 
the  kindest  feelings.  From  that  time,  Mr.  Winslow  sought 
every  opportunity  to  associate  with  me,  often  attended  my  meet- 
ings ;  and  we  several  times  held  meetings  together,  he  improv- 
ing one  part  of  the  day,  and  I  the  other ;  and  we  often  ex- 
changed visits,  until  the  Methodists  became  quite  jealous  of  him. 
Our  friendly  intercourse  continued  notwithstanding  ;  and  at  every 
opportunity  he  propounded  questions  for  investigation  on  impor- 
tant doctrinal  points ;  and  I  could  plainly  discover,  from  time  to 
time,  a  progressive  improvement  in  thought ;  and  report  said, 
his  preaching  became  vastly  more  liberal. 

Some  time  in  the  summer  of  1809,  Mr.  Winslow  called  at 
my  house,  and  immediately,  even  before  taking  his  seat,  said, 
"  Brother  Stacy,  there  is  but  one  thing  that  prevents  me  from 
being  a  Universalist ;  and  that  is,  the  unalterable  state  of  the 
soul  after  death.  All  men  are  certainly  not  prepared  for  heaveii 
before  death,  nor  have  we  any  evidence  that  all  are  converted 
at  the  hour  of  death.  Now  if  I  could  be  convinced  that  there 
could  be  a  saving  change  wrought  upon  the  soul  after  death,  I 
should,  be  compelled  to  be  a  Universalist."  "Well,  sit  dowry, 
Br.  Winslow,"  said  I,  "  if  that  is  your  last  and  only  difficulty^ 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  183 

you  have  got  to  be  a  Universalist,  or  I   a   Methodist,  before  we 
part.     For  if  the  Bible  does  positively  teach,  that  there  is  to  be 
710  alteration  after  death,  I  will   renounce  Universalism.     And 
now,  let  me  hear  your  strongest  proofs  and  arguments  in  favor 
of  the  sentiment,  that  there  is  no  change  to  the  soul  after  the  death 
of  the  body."     The  reader  will  doubtless  be  astonished,  espe- 
cially when  he  considers  that  Mr.  W.  had  been  a  preacher  for 
many  years,  and  the  boast  of  his  denomirmtion,  on  learning  that 
the  first  proof  he  named  was,  "There  is  no  repentance  in  the 
grave."     "  Why,  Brother  Winslow,  do  you  quote  that  as  Scrip- 
ture]"    "Yes,  surely."     "  But  do  you  not  know,  that  there  is 
no  such  passage  in  the  Bible  ?"     "  Well,  if  I  have  not  got   the 
words  exactly,  there  is  something  nearly  like  it."     "  Well,  there 
is  something  near  enough — the  words  you  probably  allude  to 
are  in  the  ninth  chapter  of  Ecclesiastes,  and  read  thus  :  "  What- 
soever thy  hand  findeth  to  do,  do  it  with  all  thy  might ;  for  there 
is  no  work,  nor  device,  nor  knowledge,  nor  wisdom  in  the  grave, 
whither  thou  goest."     "  Well,  that  is  as  strong  as  though  the 
word  repentance  was  there."     "Just  as  strong,  Brother  Wins- 
low  ;  and  I  am  perfectly  willing  you  should  add  the  word  re- 
pentance to  it,  if  it  will  suit  your  argument  any  better."  "Well, 
that  surely  teaches,  that  there  can  be  no  saving  change  after 
death."    '"  We  will  look  at  it.  Brother  Winslow.     You  suppose 
tliat  this  refers  to  the  state  of  the  soul  after  the  death  of  the  body, 
do  you  not?"     "Yes,  certainly."     "Now,  permit  me  to  ask 
you  one  question.     Can  we  either  enjoy  happiness,  or  experience 
misery,  without  knowledge  ?"     "  No,  certainly."     "  We  will 
now  read  your  text  according  to  your  supposition  of  its  mean- 
ing :  '  For  there  is  no  ivork,  nor  device,  nor  knowledge,  nor  wisdom 
to  the  soul,  after  death.'     How  do  you  like  it.  Brother  Winslow  ?" 
"  I  do  not  like  it  at  all."     "  Well,  you  must  not  have  it  so,  then  ; 
but  take  it  as  the  sacred  penman  has  given  it  to  you.     You  now 
see,  that  according  to  your  application  of  the  text,  if  it  prove 
any  thing,  it  proves  too  much  for  you ;  because  it  proves  the 
annihilation  of  the  soul !"     "  Well,  I  will  give  up  that  text,  but 
I  have  others."     "  Please  to  name  them."     "  As  a  tree  falleth, 
so  it  lieth ;  and  as  death  leaves  us,  so  judgment  will  find  us." 
In  short,  he  went  from  this  to  the  eighth  chapter  of  John  ;  and 
quoted,  erroneously,  "  If  ye  die  in  your  sins,  where   God  and 
Christ  are,  you  never  can  come;"  and  then  from  Revelations, 
"  He  that  is  unjust,  shall  be  unjust  still,"  &c.;  reciting  every 
passage  wrong  that  he  attempted  to  quote.     I  carefully  followed 
liim,  turning  to  every  passage  he  attempted  to  quote,  and  read 


184  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

them  correctly,  giving  him  my  views  upon  each  text.  I  then 
took  the  affirmative  of  the  question — There  is  an  alteration  after 
death ;  and  quoted  1  .Pet.  3  :  18,  19,  20  ;  and  4  :  6  ;  Rom.  14  ; 
7,  «,  9  ;  Heb.  2:14;  and  concluded  with  the  fifteenth  chapter 
of  first  Corinthians,  when  Mr.  Winslow,  faithful  to  himself  and 
his  word,  declared  that  he  was  fully  convinced  of  the  truth  of 
the  Final  Restitution  ;  and  manifested  exceeding  great  joy  in  his 
deliverance  from  Partialism.  A  few  weeks  after  this  interview, 
he  authorized  me  to  give  out  an  appointment  for  him  in  connec- 
tion with  mine,  in  the  town  of  Eaton,  with  the  annunciation  that 
he  would  there  fully  declare  his  sentiments.  This  produced  a 
very  considerable  excitement ;  for  it  was  obvious  that  Mr.  W's 
preaching  had  undergone  a  change — the  Methodists  had  become 
jealous  of  him,  and  much  speculation  had  been  indulged  in  re- 
gard to  his  private  sentiments.  The  annunciation,  therefore, 
that  he  would  openly  avow  and  explain  his  doctrinal  sentiments, 
called  together  an  unusually  large  congregation  ;  and,  in  their 
presence,  on  the  seventeenth  day  of  September,  1809,  he  boldly 
avowed  his  faith  in  the  final  salyation  of  the  whole  human  fam- 
ily, through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.  It  was  a  refreshing  season, 
and  much  good  was  done  in  our  holy  cause.  "  Is  this  Univer- 
salisml"  said  an  old  gentleman  by  the  name  of  Hatch  to  me, 
who  had  never  dared  to  venture  out  to  a  meeting  of  the  kind 
before.  "Surely,"  I  replied,  "  this  is  Universalism."  "  Well,'^ 
said  he,  "■  if  this  is  Universalism,  then  I  have  been  a  Universal- 
ist  for  many  years,  for  this  is  exactly  according  to  my  faith;  but 
I  knew  not  what  to  call  myself."  And  from  that  time  he  be- 
came one  of  my  constant  hearers. 

Immediately  after  this  public  declaration  of  his  faith,  the 
Methodists  took  up  a  labor  witii  Mr.  Winslow,  and,  in  a  very 
unfriendly  manner,  excommunicated  him  from  the  connection. 
Previously  to  this  step,  however,  he  had  addressed  a  very  affec- 
tionale  letter  to  tl  e  Conference,  informing  them  of  bis  change 
of  sentiment,  and  requesting  a  peaceable  withdrawal.  They 
took  no  notice  of  this  letter,  but  thundered  their  bitterest  anath- 
emas upon  his  head,  and  deliver  d  him  up  to  satan,  not  for  the 
salvation  of  his  soul,  like  Paul  of  old,  but  to  be  tormented  in 
hell  w^orld  without  end.  He  soon  joined  our  Association,  and 
was  for  several  years  a  successful  and  profitable  fellow-laborer. 
But  he  was  an  unfortunate  man.  He  had  a  good  heart — never 
man  had  better  ;  but  his  unconquerable  appetite  for  ardent  spir- 
its overpowered  l:is  judgment,  and  he  became  an  inebriate  I 
Long  and  affectionately  did  the  Association  labor  to  restore  and 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  185 

preserve  him,  for  all  loved  him  ;  but  our  labor  proved  fruitless. 
Several  times  he  came  with  deep  contrition  of  heart — he  was 
always  sincere — and,  with  tears  streaming  from  his  eyes,  con- 
fessed his  sin,  and  begged  forgiveness  ;  but  alas!  his  resolution 
was  easily  overcome,  perhaps  by  the  next  decanter  of  spirits 
placed  before  him;  and  this,  in  his  day,  was  too  common  and 
too  dangerous  a  practice.  The  Association  was  at  length  com- 
pelled— but  it  was  done  with  feelings  of  heart-felt  sorrow  and 
commiseration  for  his  infirmities — at  its  sess'on  in  1817.1  think, 
to  withdraw  from  him  the  hand  of  fellowship  ;  and  he  never 
afterward  attempted  to  preach.  ''  The  voice  of  my  brethren," 
he  said  to  me,  "  is  the  voice  of  God,  in  this  respect — I  shall 
never  try  to  preach  again." 

From  my  first  visit  to  Eaton,  I  continued  them  monthly,  de- 
livering one  or  more  lecture  each  time  ;  and  b.efore  our  Asso- 
ciation in  June,  they  organized  a  small  society,  which  was  at 
that  time  received  into  fellowship. 

Soon  after  my  removal  to  Whitestown,  I  received  a  pressing 
solicitation  to  visit  the  town  of  Western,  north  of  Rome. 
Methodism  had  made  very  considerable  progress  in  that  town  ; 
and  it  had  done  some  good.  It  had  exposed  the  absurdities  of 
Calvinism,  and,  in  a  good  degree,  liberated  the  mind  from  the 
prejudices  of  education  ;  and  in  several  instances,  certainly 
excited  a  freedom  of  thought  and  investigation  which  it  could 
not  restrain.  S3veral,  who  had  early  united  with  the  Metho- 
dists, had  thoroughly  tried  that  system  and  found  it  entirely  in- 
adequate to  answer  the  desires  of  the  soul  ;  or,  to  use  Scripture 
metaphor,  "  The  bed  was  so  short,  that  a  «ian  could  not  stretch 
himself  on  it ;  and  the  covering  so  narrow,  that  he  could  not 
wrap  himself  in  it."  Some  had  already  discovered  a  more  am- 
pie  plan  of  salvation,  and  others  were  earnestly  seeking.  My 
time  was  so  constantly  taken  up,  that  I  could  not  answer  their 
call  until  March  ;  but  from  that  time  I  visited  them  as  often  as 
I  could  find  opportunity,  generally  preaching  several  times,  and 
in  several  different  places,  in  the  course  of  each  visit ;  and  in 
the  course  of  the  summer  following,  a  society  was  organized  in 
that  town.  "  Come,"  said  a  gentlemen,  v^hen  I  presented  a  con- 
stitution for  a  society, — "  Come,  sister  U.,  you  and  I  were  the 
first  to  join  a  Methodist  class  in  this  place  ;  and  now  let  us  be 
the  first  to  join  a  Universalist  Society."  But  sister  U.  was  not 
tlien  quite  ready.  However,  she  soon  became  ready,  and  joined 
with  a  full  and  glowing  heart. 

There  was  a  gentleman  who  kept  a  public-house  between 


186  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

Whitesboro'  and  Rome  Ijy,  the  name  of  Putnam — (Col.  Put- 
nam.) This  gentleman  had  several  times  attended  my  meetings 
in  Whitestown,  and  requested  that  I  would,  at  some  convenient 
time,  make  an  appointment  in  his  neighborhood.  On  my  way 
to  Western,  on  one  of  my  visits  to  that  town,  I  called  on  Col. 
P.,  to  make  arrangements  for  a  lecture,  on  my  return.  The 
Colonel  was  not  in  his  house,  but  his  wife  directed  me  to  a  lot 
where  he  was  at  work,  and  I  went  and  found  him.  He  dropped 
his  work,  and  returned  with  me  to  the  house.  We  were  con- 
versing on  the  subject  of  a  meeting  when  we  entered  the  house, 
and  took  seats.  Mrs.  P.  was  washing  the  shelves  in  the  bar  ; 
and  I  felt  a  little  surprised  that  he  did  not  introduce  us  to  each 
other ;  but  no  such  ceremony  was  performed.  I  could  discover 
her  occasionally  stop  work,  and  listen  to  our  conversation.  At 
length  she  turned  round,  and,  with  a  face  suffused  with  scarlet, 
said,  "Is  this  Mr.  Stacy?"  "Yes,"  answered  the  Colonel, 
and  then  formally  introduced  us.  Addressing  me,  she  then 
said,  "  If  I  had  known  who  you  were,  I  would  not  have  told 
you  where  Mr.  P.  was."  •"  Why,  madam  ?"  I  asked.  "  Because 
I  consider  you  a  very  great  deceiver,  and  a  very  dangerous 
man ;  spreading  your  damnable  doctrine  in  the  world,  and 
leadmg  souls  down  to  hell.  You  must  know  that  my  husband 
i«  very  dear  to  me ;  and  you  have  enticed  him  away  after  your 
corrupt  doctrine,  and  are  trying  to  lead  him  astray,  and  will  be 
the  means  of  him  being  damned  at  last.  I  do  not  wish  to  have 
him  go  after  you.  I  don't  wish  you  to  have  an  opportunity  to 
deceive  him  any  more.  I  wish  you  would  leave  the  house,  and 
never  call  here  agatft."  "I  presume,  madam,  the  Colonel  is  a 
man  capable  of  judging  for  himself  in  these  matters ;  and  will 
not  easily  be  deceived  by  a  stripling,  as  I  am."  "  No,  he  is 
not ;  you  have  deceived  him — j^ou  are  now  trying  to  deceive 
him;  and  I  wish  you  would  leave  the  house."  -All  this,  and 
much  more,  was  said  in  a  high  state  of  excitement  and  vehe- 
mence of  passion.  Indeed,  her  menaces  and  grimace,  led  me 
very  seriously  to  apprehend  she  would  actually  come  at  me, 
even  in  the  presence  of  her  husband,  to  put  me  out  of  the  house 
by  force.  The  Colonel  manifested  great  mortification — used 
his  utmost  endeavors  to  calm  her  passions  and  cool  her  temper ; 
but  all  in  vain.  Nothing  that  he  or  I  could  say  had  any  other 
effect  but  to  inflame  her  passions,  and  excite  her  volubility  in 
the  use  of  the  most  invidious  language  she  was  mistress  of. 
He  finally  said,  he  would  consult  his  neighbors ;  and  an  ap- 
pointment would  be  given  out  for  a  meeting  somewhere  in  the 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL     STACY.         "  l87 

neighborhood  ;  and  I  left  the  house,  thankful  to  escape  with  the 
hair  on  my  head. 

On  my  return,  I  rode  up  to  the  house,  and  not  seeing  the 
Colonel,  felt  some  hesitation  about  entering  ;  however,  I  con- 
cluded to  venture,  hair  or  no  hair.  I  hitched  my  horse  in  the 
shed,  and  entered  the  bar-room.  The  house  was  small,  consist- 
ing of  but  two  rooms  on  the  ground,  one  serving  for  a  bar-room, 
and  the  other  for  a  kitchen.  As  I  entered,  I  saw  Mrs.  P.  sit- 
ting alone  in  the  bar-room,  with  her  elbows  on  her  knees,  and 
her  face  dropped  between  her  hands,  so  as  to  completely  cover 
it.  I  looked  at  her,  but  she  moved  not ;  I  thought  it  possible 
she  was  asleep.  I  walked  across  the  floor  as  heavily  as  I  could 
— ^threw  my  hat  and  whip  on  the  table,  with  as  much  noise  as  I 
could  make,  and  turned  toward  Mrs.  P.;  but  no  movement  was 
yet  discoverable.  I  then  took  several  turns  across  the  floor, 
with  as  heavy  a  tread  as  my  light  frame  could  well  make ;  but 
without  arousing  her,  or  scarcely  perceiving  any  signs  of  life. 
I  then  turned  my  face  toward  her,  and  vociferated,  "  Mrs.  P  !" 
She  then  slowly  raised  her  head.  She  had  not  been  asleep  ; 
but  evidently  had  seen  me  ride  up,  and  had  fixed  herself  in  that 
position  to  avoid  an  interview.  She  looked  sour  enough  ;  but 
1  ventured  to  inquire,  "•  Is  the  Colonel  within  ?"  She  answered 
coldly,  "He  is  somewhere  about — he'll  be  in  soon."  This  was 
all  the  conversation  we  had.  She  did  not  ask  me  to  be  seated  ; 
but,  notwithstanding,  I  did  take  a  seat.  The  Colonel  soon  came 
in ;  and  as  we  were  about  to  repair  to  a  near  neighbor's  where 
a  meeting  had  been  appointed,  he  asked  her  if  she  would  go  to 
meeting  with  us.  She  replied,  grufiiy,  "  No ;  I  am  going  to 
prayer  meeting."  I  delivered  my  message  ;  and  remained 
with  the  gentleman  at  whose  house  the  meeting  Avas  holden, 
through  the  night ;  and  the  next  morning  left  the  neighborhood 
with  a  whole  skin  ;  and  I  have  no  recollection  of  ever  having 
seen  either  Col.  P.  or  his  wife  since.  Although  I  often  passed 
his  house,  after  that,  I  had  no  inclination  to  cultivate  a  further 
acquaintance  with  his  lady;  and  for  some  reason,  either  through 
mortification  at  the  conduct  of  his  wife,  or  her  influence  over 
him,  he  never  afterwards  attended  my  meetings.  This  was  the 
most  severe  rebuff*  I  ever  had  from  a  lady,  face  to  face.  I  was 
once  told,  that  after  I  had  left  the  house  of  a  friend  on  whom  I 
had  called,  his  wife  threw  a  chair  against  the  door  after  me, 
with  violence ;  but  fortunately  the  door  stopped  it,  so  that  I  es- 
caped unscathed. 

As  the  season  for  the  meeting  of  our  Association  drew  near,  I 


188  MEMOIRS     OF    THE 

exerted  myself  to  arouse  the  feelings  of  the  brethren  and  sis- 
ters, (for  we  had  a  few  faithful  sisters  even  at  this  early  period) 
and  to  urge  the  importance  of  attending  meeting  themselves, 
and  encouraging  others  to  attend.  Delegates  were  appointed 
in  the  few  societies  organized,  and  letters  and  credentials  made 
out.  The  Presbyterian  meeting-house  in  New  Hartford,  was 
obtained  for  the  occasion ;  and  it  was  well  filled.  The  dele- 
gates from  the  societies  were  punctual  in  their  attendance,  as 
well  as  many  other  individuals;  and  numbers  from  all  the  re- 
gion where  the  doctrine  had  made  any  advances  came  to  our 
"yearly  feast;"  besides  many,  whom  curiosity  led  to  hear 
something  about  that  strange  "  sect,  which  was  everywhere 
spoken  against;"  and  not  a  few  of  the  Pharisees  of  the  land 
appeared  in  our  assembly — came  in,  no  doubt,  to  "  spy  out  our 
liberty."  But  whatever  were  their  objector  feelings,  we  were 
gratified  with  their  attendance ;  feeling  a  confidence  that  the 
all-wise  Governor  of  the  universe,  would  overrule  the  whole 
for  the  advancement  of  the  cause  of  divine  truth.  Mr.  Bal- 
lou  again  met  with  us,  and  was  accompanied  by  Mr.  Dean,  and 
Mr.  Richard  Carrique,  who  were  appointed  as  a  delegation  from 
the  General  Convention  in  New  England.  Mr.  Carrique  was 
a  young  man  of  very  promising  talents,  who  had  commenced 
his  ministerial  labors  in  the  State  of  Vermont,  a  short  time 
previous  to  this.  Discourses  were  delivered,  on  the  occasion, 
with  powerful  effect,  by  the  three  brethren  from  the  east;  and 
nothing  took  place  to  mar  the  pleasantness  of  the  meeting,  ex- 
cept the  clandestine  distribution  of  a  large  number  of  Haynes' 
filthy  .discourses  against  Universalism,  over  the  seats  of  the 
meeting-house,  during  the  intermission  of  the  second  day,  by 
some  malignant  hand  ;  and  even  this,  Mr.  Ballou  so  ingenious- 
ly noticed,  and  so  kindly  but  severely  rebuked,  in  his  closing 
address,  that  the  injury  designed  to  be  inflicted  recoiled  with 
tenfold  violence  upon  the  offender,  and  enstamped  visible  marks 
of  shame  upon  the  faces  of  the  abetting  party. 

This — and  indeed  all  our  annual  associations — but  this  in 
particular,  was  a  season  of  great  rejoicing  and  encouragement 
to  our  friends,  and  to  the  lovers  of  truth  in  this  region  of  coun- 
try. They  saw  the  standard  of  God's  Universal  Grace  so  firm- 
ly planted  in  this  new  but  thriving  country,  that  they  now  con- 
fsidered  it  beyond  the  power  of  the  enemy  to  uproot  it.  A  spirit 
of  deep  and  thrilling  interest  was  excited ;  and  the  opposing 
clergy  began  to  see  that  they  had  something  more  to  do,  to  stop 
the  progress  of  the  doctrine,  than  merely  to  treat  it  with  con- 


LIFE    OF     REV..  NATHANIEL    STACY.  189 

tempt.  They  began,  more  zealously,  to  open  their  batteries 
ao-ainst  it  ;  but  they  were  careful  generally,  to  ensconce  them- 
selves safely  behind  the  ramparts  of  their  own  pulpits,  where 
they  felt  secure  from  an  onset.  However,  the  more  they  railed 
against  the  doctrine,  the  more  they  excited  the  people  to  inquire 
into  its  claims  for  truth,  and  consequently  the  faster  it  spread. 
Our  friends  began  to  see  the  vast  necessity  of  more  labor  in 
this  part  of  the  vineyard.  One  feeble  individual  was  very  in- 
competent to  supply  a  tithe  of  the  calls  that  were  constantly 
pouring  in,  from  every  quarter,  for  the  preached  word.  And 
indeed,  so  strong  did  our  friends  in  Whitestown  and  vicinity 
feel,  that  they  even  thought  of  establishing  here  a  ministerial 
emporium.  They,  or  some  of  them,  suggested  the  idea  of  en- 
gaging several  of  our  preachers  to  settle  in  their  town,  and  so 
radiate  from  this  center,  to  spread  the  glad  tidings  of  the  Great 
Salvation  toward  the  four  cardinal  points  !  And  so  zealous 
were  they,  that  they  could  hardl}?-  be  persuaded  that  such  a 
scheme  was  impracticable.  They  felt  exceedingly  anxious,  at 
any  rate,  to  engage  the  labors  of  Mr.  Ballou  ;  and  soon  after 
the  session  of  the  Association,  addressed  a  letter  to  him  on  the 
subject.  In  his  reply,  he  gave  them  to  understand,  that  he  con- 
sidered that  my  field  of  laT3or,  and  he  could  not  consent  to  settle 
there,  to  discommode  or  disturb  me.  As  soon  as  they  made 
this  known  to  me,  I  assured  them  that  so  far  from  being  discom- 
moded or  disturbed,  by  the  removal  of  Mr.  Ballou,  or  any  other 
approved  preacher  of  Universal  Salvation,  into  this  place ;  I 
should  consider  it  an  important  acquisition,  and  most  desirable  ; 
and  if  it  would  facilitate  such  an  object,  I  would  most  cheer- 
fully give  up  Whitestown  to  him,  and  every  other  place  where 
I  was  preaching,  if  it  would  be  any  inducement  for  him  to 
come  ;  that  the  field  was  extensive  enough  for  him  and  me ; 
and,  indeed,  it  needed  many  more  laborers ;  and  nothing  could 
gratify  me  more  than  to  have  Mr.  Ballou  settle  in  Whitestown ; 
and  I  immediately  wrote-him  to  that  effect.  But  they  did  not 
succeed  in  obtaining  his  valuable  labors.  I  then  suggested  to 
them  the  probability  of  their  being  able  to  obtain  Mr.  Dean, 
They  therefore  opened  a  correspondence  v/ith  Mr.  Dean,  which 
eventuated  in  his  settlement  in  that  place. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


liitroduction  of  the  doctrine  into  Sullivan— Homer— Society  organized  in  Ho* 
nier-^ Author  turns  pedagogue  again^Conimon  Schools — Sectarian  bigotry  \ 
—Commences  School— School-house  burned— Prosecution  of  supposed  in* 
condiary — Removes  to  Hamilton — Purchases  and  build*— Association,  1808— 
Jlr.  Ballou's  last  visit— Mr.  Babbit— Mr.  Ferris— Encouraging  prospects— 
Fii"st  discourse  in  Norwich  Court-house— Society  formed  in  Norwich— Mat- 
thew Long,  Esq. — Appointment  in  Bainbridge—  Society  in  Bainbridge^ 
Extensive  circuit — Mr.  J — d — his  mahgnant  opposition,  and  conversion — Mr. 
Tylor,  his  sickness,  death,  and  funeral— Association,  18'39 — Mr.  Wm.  Baket 
'—Extension  of  the  doctrine — Acce?sions  to  the  ministry — First  meeting 
Augusta,  desultory  conversation  and  discussion  at  the  close — Sally  Mur- 
dock,  her  sickness  and  deaths-Triumphs  of  her  faith^Dialogue  between  Mr . 
Holmes  and  his  Minister,  on  the  beforementioned  occasion— Another  testi- 
mony in  the  case  of  Mrs.  Beach^^And  yet  another,  Mrs.  "Woodhull. 

The  Association,  at  its  session  in  New  Hartford,  1807,  ad- 
journed to  meet  in  Hartwick,  Otsego  Co.,  in  1808.  In  the  year 
intervening,  I  labored  alone  in  this  enlarging  field — not  a  sin- 
^\e  preacher  of  the  order,  that  I  now  recollect,  visited  this  sec- 
tion of  country  during  the  whole  period.  I  traveled  constant- 
ly during  the  summer  and  fall,  supplying  the  places  already 
named,  even  extending  my  ride  as  far  as  Sullivan,  Madison  Co., 
and  Homer,  now  Cortland  Co.  Homer  was  then  a  newly  set- 
tled country.  There  was  but  one  solitary  house  where  the 
flourishing  village  of  Cortland  now  stands,  and  that  was  the  resi- 
dence of  a  friend  of  ours  by  the  name  of  Hubbard,  long  since 
gathered  home  to  his  fathers.  On  my  first  visit  to  Homer,  I  de- 
livered one  discourse  at  the  old  village,  and  another  at  Port  Wat- 
son. Port  Watson  was  then  very  new,  but  contained  as  many 
families  as  did  the  old  village.  I  subsequently  visited  Homer 
several  times  in  the  course  of  the  summer  and  fall ;  and  organ- 
ized a  society  in  the  place,  which  in  after  years  I  regularly  sup- 
plied for  a  considerable  space  of  time. 

Our  friends  were  hardly  as  liberal  in  contributing  for  the 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  I9l 

support  of  a  preacher  as  they  were  in  atteiK^ing  meetings;  and 
as  I  began  to  have  a  family  to  provide  for,  I  was  again  com- 
pelled to  resort  to  my  pedagogic  employment,  to  produce  the 
necessaries  of  life.  There  was  no  law  then  in  the  State  regu- 
lating common  schools,  nor  for  several  years  afterwards.  Each 
neighborhood,  at  their  own  option,  organized  themselves  into  a 
district,  built  their  own  school-house,  hired  their  teacher,  judg- 
ing for  themselves  of  his  qualifications,  and  pa-id  in  propor- 
tion to  the  scholars  each  family  furnished.  They  had  a  good 
school-house,  for  those  times,  in  the  neighborhood  where  I  resi- 
ded ;  and  after  their  annual  school  meeting  in  the  fall,  the 
trustees  applied  to  me  to  teach  their  winter  school ;  and  I  read- 
ily engaged. 

An  occurrence  here  took  place,  worth  recording,  because  it 
affords  a  vivid  illustration  of  the  deplorable  effects  of  a  bigoted 
adherance  to  sectarian  creeds.  Soon  after  my  engagement,  I 
learned  that  there  was  a  dissatisfaction  among  some  of  the  in- 
habitants of  the  district,  on  account  of  the  trustees  engaging 
me  to  teach  the  school.  I  went  immediately  to  the  trustees  and 
requested  to  be  released.  They  replied,  they  could  not  release 
me,  as  there  was  no  objection  founded  upon  any  reasonable 
cause — that  there  were  few  who  owned  right  in  the  house,  that. 
had  made  any  objection ;  and  those  who  had,  objected  solely 
on  account  of  religious  sentiments  ;  a  bigotry  and  superstition 
which  they  considered  injurious  to  community  to  indulge  in. 
I  pleaded,  that  I  had  had  some  experience  in  teaching  ;  and  I 
had  always  found  it  a  task  sufficiently  severe  and  difficult 
where  a  district  were  united  ;  and  to  go  into  a  school  where 
there  was  already  a  dissatisfaction  existing,  and  growing  out  of 
ihe  cause  they  had  named,  which  set  at  defiance  all  my  ability 
to  remove,  was  a  vortex  into  which  I  should  not  willingly  be 
drawn  ;  and  I  was,  therefore,  resolved  not  to  enter  the  school. 
They  remarked,  that  old  Mr.  L — s,  who  had  no  children  to  send, 
and  who  was  the  only  man  that  owned  any  right  in  the  house, 
who  would  be  opposed  were  they  not  influencel^  by  him,  was 
the  instigator  of  all  the  disturbance  ;  and  to  yield  to  his  whim — 
to  be  dictated  by  him  in  a  thing  in  which  he  could  have  no  in- 
terest, except  the  gratification  of  religious  prejudices,  they 
thought  would  be  unjust  to  society,  and  involve  themselves  in 
greater  difficulty  than  to  proceed  according  to  their  own  sense 
of  duty,  in  defiance  of  his  displeasure  and  threats.  They  also 
thought  that  he  would  eventually  withdraw  his  objections  ;  but 
whether  he  did  or  not,  they  were  resolved  to  have  the  school  go 


192  •  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

on ;  and  if  I  did  n(?t  fulfil  my  contract  with  them,  they  should 
prosecute  me  for  damage.     '1  he  trustees  were  not  Universalists, 
jiut  they    were  not    sectarian  bigots.       Their    reasoning  was 
good  ;   and  1  was    ill    able  to  pay  damage  for  non-compliance  ; 
I  therefore  concluded  to  go  into  the  school.     Previous  to  the 
commencement  of  the  school,  they  had  several  meetings,  to  try 
to  reconcile  Mr.  L — s,  but  to  no  elfect.     Mr.  L — s  was  not  a 
member  of  the  church,  I  believe,  but  an  adherent  to  old  Con- 
necticut Presbyterianism,  and  as  bigoted  as  though  he  had  sub- 
scribed to  fifty  creeds.     The  school  house  stood  on  his  land; 
and   he  swore   that  his  land    should  not  be    "  made   a  den  of 
thieves" — and  that  if  I  attempted  to  enter  the  school-house,  to 
teach  school,  he  would  burn  the  house.     This   he    repeatedly 
said,  both  in  private  conversation,  and  in  their  public  meetings. 
However,  the  time  arrived,  and  I  commenced  school  ;  and  in 
less  than  a  week  the  house  was  filled  to  inconvenience  with 
scholars.     The  dissatisfied  party  united  with  others  in  an  ad- 
joining neighborhood,  and  established  another  school  ;  and  all 
things  seemed  restored  to  tranquility.     I  had  kept  school  just 
three  week's  ;  and  as  I  lield  meetings  every  Sabbath,  my  com- 
mon custom  was  to  dismiss  the  school    at  twelve  o'clock  on 
Saturday  ;  but  as  my  meeting  was- to  be  holden  in  the  neigh- 
borhood the  next  day,  and  as  I  had  a  large  number  of  scholars 
studying  arithmetic,  I  devoted  an  hour  or  more  to  them  after 
dismissing  the  school,  at  this  time.     December  had  commenced 
— the  day  was  sunny  ;  the  snow  had  fallen  some  four  or  five 
inches  in   the  course  of  the  day  ;   and  before  we  separated,  1 
told   the  scholars    to     bring    in   some    snow,  throw  it  on  the 
hearth,  and  on  the  floor  around  the  hearth,  as  we  had  kept  a 
pretty  heavy  fire,  so  as  to  quench  any  coals  which  might  have 
dropped  into  the  crevice,  between  the  hearth  and  floor.     This 
was  carefully  done ;   and  I  raked  up  the  coals  on  the  hearth, 
covered  them  with  ashes,  and  locked  the  door  vvdth  my  own 
hands,  and  lefuhe  key  at  a  neighbor's,  the  usual  place.     I  resi- 
ded in  an  apartment  of  the  house  of  a  friend,  by  the  name  of 
Stillman,  about  half  a  mile  from  the  school-house,  and  in  plain 
sight  of  it.     Near  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening — my  wife  had 
gone  to  bed.  and  I  had  drawn  my  boots,  and  sat  reading — I  heard 
Mr.  Stillman  go  to  his  door  and  open  it  ;   and  then  with  a  hur- 
ried step  he  approached  my  door,  saying  as  he  opened  it,  "The 
school-house  is  on  fire  !"     I  stepped  to  the  door,  and  behold  the 
building  was  in  flames,  the  rafters  nearly  naked.      We  drew  on 
our  boots  and  hurried  to  the  scene  ;  but  long  before  we  reached 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NArHANIEL    STACY.  193 

Ihe  spot,  the  whole  roof  fell  in.  The  alarm  had  early  been  giv- 
en ;  and  although  we  heard  it  not,  others  had,  and  a  large  con- 
course of  people  were  already  on  the  spot.  I  will  not  attempt 
to  describe  my  feelings ;  but  they  were  anything  but  pleasant. 
I  considered  it  impossible  that  the  house  should  have  taken  fire 
from  the  coals  left  upon  the  hearth  ;  and  it  was  still  more  se- 
riously to  be  deplored,  that  there  should  exist,  and  so  long  be 
cherished,  so  malignant  a  spirit  as  to  burn  a  school-house,  with 
a  large  number  of  valuable  school-books,  and  other  appendages, 
merely  because  a  Universalist  preacher  was  employed  as  a 
teacher  in  it ! 

With  these  reflections,  I  approached  the  spot.  By  the  time 
we  had  arrived  within  fifty  rods  of  the  school-house,  it  was  light 
as  day  around  us.  We  met  an  old  gentlemen  by  the  name  of 
Dewey,  on  horse-back  ;  he  discovered,  no  doubt,  by  the  appear- 
ance of  my  countenance,  that  my  mind  was  not  at  ease,  and 
said,  "  Mr.  Stacy,  don't  feel  troubled — nobody  blames  you.  We 
are  all  satisfied,  how  the  house  took  fire — go  and  examine  faces, 
and  see  who  looks  guilty."  The  next  man  we  met,  was  old 
Mr.  L — s.  "  Well,  (said  I,)  Mr.  L — s,  the  house  is  burned,  it 
seems."  The  old  gentleman  snapped  out  as  spiteful  as  an  adder, 
^'Yes,  and  by  devilish  carelessness,  I  believe."  I  made  no  re- 
ply, but  passed  on.  I  soon  learned  by  the  general  conversation, 
what  was  the  opinion  of  the  people  in  general,  about  the  cause 
of  the  fire  ;  and  felt  not  a  little  gratified,  to  find  among  the  in- 
habitants of  the  district,  a  fixed  determination  that  this  unplea- 
sant event  should,  by  no  means,  break  up  the  school.  And  their 
actions  were  as  spirited  as  their  words.  This  was  on  Saturday 
evening ;  and  on  the  Wednesday'  morning  following,  they  had  a 
spacious  room,  in  a  dwelling-house  not  sixty  rods  from  where 
the  school-house  stood,  conveniently  fitted  up,  and  I  resumed 
teaching. 

Early  on  the  Monday  following,  this  Mr.  Dewey,  whom  I 
have  before  named,  entered  a  complaint,  and  obtained  a  warrant 
for  Mr.  L — s  ;  but  behold,  he  had  absconded  !  and  he  kept  out 
of  sight,  and  hearing,  for  more  than  two  weeks.  When  he  did 
return,  however,  he  was  arrested,  and  examined,  and  laid  under 
bonds  for  trial.  The  evidence  was  clear  against  him,  as  words 
could  make  it ;  but  he  was  an  old  man,  one  of  the  first  settlers 
in  the  place,  and,  save  his  petulency,  and  his  malignant  hatred 
of  Universalism,  was  quite  inoffensive  ;  his  case  excited  the 
commiseration  of  the  inhabitants  generally,  after  the  first  parox- 

M 


194  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

ism  of  disgust  had  passed  ;  and  it  was  so  managed,  that  he  was 
never  brought  to  trial. 

The  society  in  Hamilton  had  long  expressed  a  strong  desire 
for  me  to  remove,  and  settle  permanently  in  that  town,  and  of- 
fered to  purchase  a  small  lot  of  land  for  me,  and  help  me  to 
build,  if  r  would  settle  among  them.  This  was  a  strong  in- 
ducement ;  for  I  thought  I  could  employ  a  portion  of  my  time 
in  cultivating  a  little  farm,  both  to  the  advantage  of  my  health, 
and  the  support  of  my  family ;  and  with  less  interference  with 
my  profession,  than  any  other  employment ;  and  I  must  do  some- 
thing besides  preach,  or  my  family  must  suffer  for  the  necessa- 
ries of  life.  Accordingly,  I  made  the  necessaiy  arrangements, 
and  in  the  month  of  April,  1808,  removed  my  family  to  Hamil- 
ton, Madison  Co.,  where  we  resided  twenty -two  years. 

The  society  purchased,  or  rather  helped  me  to  purchase, 
twelve  acres  ;  eight  or  nine  under  improvement ;  and  in  the 
course  of  the  ensuing  summer  and  fall,  I  built  a  house  on  it. 
I  now  felt  a  degree  of  satisfaction,  in  regard  to  temporal  things, 
and  measurable  safety  for  the  support  of  my  family,  which  I 
had  never  before  enjoyed.  I  had  now  a  permanent  home  ;  and 
every  hour  I  could  get  to  work,  and  every  improvement  I  made, 
would  advance  the  interest  and  improve  the  comfort  of  my  fam- 
ily. And  I  would  work  on  my  land,  when  at  home,  during  the 
day ;  read  at  night,  and  meditate  and  reflect  while  riding  to  my 
appointments.  This,  reader,  was  the  course  I  had  to  pursue 
for  many  long  years — and  this  was  necessary,  in  order  to  plant 
the  doctrine  of  God's  free  and  universal  grace,  permanently 
and  surely,  in  a  world  benighted  and  stupified,  under  the  long 
and  tyrannical  reign  of  anti-christian  creeds. 

The  joyful  time  of  our  annual  Convention  arrived,  and  with 
delightful  anticipations  we  assembled,  to  bring  up  our  yearly 
offerings  of  praise  to  the  altar  of  the  Lord.  Our  Associations 
frequently  reminded  me  of  the  Jewish  feast  of  tabernacles, 
when  the  tribes  of  Israel  assembled  from  the  different  lands  of 
their  sojourn,  to  bring  up  their  offerings  to  the  temple,  and  hold 
a  season  of  festivity  and  rejoicing  in  commemoration  of  their 
deliverance  from  Egyptian  bondage.  We  too,  had  experienced 
a  moral  bondage  more  galling  than  that  of  the  Israelites  in  the 
land  of  Egypt,  from  which  the  Lord,  by  his  mighty  word,  had 
delivered  us  ;  and  we  felt  the  full  beatitude  of  our  spiritual 
freedom. 

We  obtained  the  use  of  the  Baptist  meeting-house,  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Perth,  town  of  Hartwick,  for  the  session  of  our  Associa- 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  195 

fion,  tliis  year  (1808) ;  and  it  was  literally  filled  at  every  exer* 
<rise,  during  this  session.  Mr.  Ballou  met  with  us,  for  the  third 
■and  last  time  ;  but  I  can  not  now  recollect  who  were  his  col- 
leagues, or  whether  lie  had  any,  on  the  committee  from  the 
General  Convention,  this  year.  About  this  time,  Mr.  James 
Babbit  removed  from  Vermont  into  the  town  of  Duanesburg,  in 
this  State,  and  commenced  preaching  in  that  town  ;  and  he  also 
attended  this  association.  Mr.  Ferris,  for  the  first  time,  took 
his  seat  in  this  council  ;  and  delivered  one  discourse. 

This,  like  the  previous  meetings  of  our  Association,  and  all 
subsequent  meetings,  certainly  for  many  years,  was  a  season 
of  rejoicing,  of  refreshing  and  encouragement.  There  was  in 
those  days,  no  competition  for  precedence,  or  pre-eminence — no 
jealousies,  nor  heart-burnings  toward  each  other  ;  we  met  in 
perfect  harmony.  Our  souls  were  absorbed  in  the  love  of  the 
truth  ^  we  had  no  selfish  ends  to  gratify,  and  no  places  of  pre- 
ferment to  quarrel  about ;  no  heavy  salaries  were  offered,  nor 
popular  applause  rendered  to  tempt  impostoi's  to  intrude  upon 
us — we  were  glad  to  give  place  to  those  among  us  who  could 
be  the  most  useful  to  the  great  cause,  which  was  the  engrossing 
object  of  our  whole  souls.  Indeed,  we  were  willing  to  be  led  by 
the  most  feeble  hand  to  the  rich  banqueting-house  of  our  con- 
quering Leader,  while  "  His  banner  over  us  was  love." 

From  this  time,  I  felt  a  peculiar  renewal  of  strength.  The 
cause  had  prospered  beyond  my  most  sanguine  expectations  ; 
and  the  Lord  was  sending  more  laborers  into  his  vineyard.  Mr. 
Ferris  began  to  travel  andi^^reach,  more  than  he  had  heretofore 
done;  and  Mr.  Babbit  had  removed  within  our  limits — we  could 
now  count  three  preachers — Universalist  preachers  in  the  State 
of  New  York  ! — and  our  societies  vv^ere  increasing  in  numbers, 
and  in  strength.  We  had  had  an  accession  of  two  or  three, 
since  our  last  Association.  But  this,  so  far  from  diminishing 
my  sense  of  responsibility  for  individual  exertion,  rather  in- 
creased it.  I  felt  an  increased  obligation  to  be  fiiithful  ;  and  as 
the  field  of  operation  enlarged,  my  zeal  to  improve  it  became 
more  fervid  ;  and  during  that  year  my  travels  were  still  farther 
extended. 

In  June  of  that  year,  the  lodge  of  Free-masons  in  Norwich, 
Chenango  Co.,  having  passed  a  "resolution  to  celebrate  the  festi- 
ral  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  sent  a  committee  to  engage  my  ser- 
vices on  the  occasion.  The  seat  of  justice  for  the  county  of 
Chenango  had  recently  been  established  at  Norwich,  and  they 
were,  at  this  time,  erecting  a  court-house ;  it  xvas  in  an  unfin- 


196  MEMOIRS     OF    THE 

ished  state,  but  the  master- workman  agreed  to  prepare  the  court- 
room for  the  services.  He  did  so  ;  and  made  it  very  conve- 
nient for  a  numerous  congregation.  1  there  delivered  the  first 
discourse  that  was  ever  delivered  in  that  house,  either  on  law 
or  gospel.  But  I  have  preached  many  sermons  in  that  house 
since  that  time.  A  society  was  organized  there,  shortly  after- 
wards, and  I  preached  to  them  once  a  month  for  several  years. 

At  this  celebration,  I  met  a  very  dear  friend,  Matthev/  Long 
Esq.,  with  whom  I  had  formed  an  acquaintance  in  Wilmington, 
Vt.  I  had  learned  that  he  had  removed  into  that  region,  some- 
where, but  had  been  unable  to  learn  in  what  town  he  had  fixed 
his  residence.  But  he,  with  two  or  three  others  of  the  fraterni- 
ty, came  from  Jericho,  now  Bainbridge,  to  attend  the  celebra- 
tion. Our  meeting  was  quite  a  joyful  one,  and  to  me  very  un- 
expected ;  and  it  tended  very  much  to  advance  the  cause  of  our 
religion.  Esq.  Long  had  found  a  few  friends  of  truth,  even  in 
Jericho  ;  and  I  could  not  resist  his  importunity  to  give  him  an 
appointment,  and  visit  his  town.  Consequently,  in  August  fol- 
lowing, I  took  a  tour  through  that  region ;  delivered  five  dis- 
courses in  different  parts  of  the  town  of  Jericho — one  in  the 
academy  in  Oxford  ;  and  preached  on  Sunday,  on  my  return,  in 
Norwich  court-house.  From  that  time,  I  often  visited  Jericho 
and  Oxford  ;  and  in  June  following,  delivered  a  festival  dis- 
course to  the  Masonic  lodge,  in  Jericho.  The  cause  advanced 
with  rather  unusual  rapidity  in  Jericho  ;  several  converts  were 
obtained  from  Orthodox  churches ;  and  in  a  short  time,  a  socie- 
ty was  organized,  which  I  regularly«supplied  as  often  as  once  a 
month,  for  a  season,  until  they  could  obtain  preaching  from 
some  other  source.  My  travels  were  very  laborious  this  year, 
extending  from  Whitestown,  north,  (and  occasionally,  to  West- 
ern)— to  Jericho,  south  ;  and  from  Otsego  and  Hartwick,  east, 
to  Homer,  west.  This  tour,  at  least  requiring  two  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  ride,  I  made  generally  once  a  month,  supplying  at  the 
same  time  a  largo  number  of  places  in  the  intermediate  country. 

At  the  time  of  my  removal  into  Hamilton,  the  members  of  the 
society  residing  in  the  town  were  not  numerous  ;  and  these  were 
promiscuously  scattered  through  every  neighborhood.  There 
were  but  two  families  in  my  immediate  neighborhood,  who  pro- 
fessed any  faith  in  Universalism,  save  a  widow  lady,  at  the  fu- 
neral of  whose  husband  I  had  officiated  the  previous  autumn. 
The  majority  of  my  neighbors  were  bitterly,  and  some  madly 
opposed  to  my  doctrine  ;  and  among  the  latter  class,  a  brother- 
in-law  of  the  above-mentioned  widow ;  who  subsequently  told 


LIFE   OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  197 

rne,  that  at  the  time  of  my  removal  into  town  he  would  have 
united  with  others,  in  order  to  prevent  me  by  physical  force — 
mobbing,  if  no  other  means  could  have  been  effectual — from 
settling  in  the  place. 

Many  times,  when  reflecting  upon  my  success  amidst  such 
malignant  opposition,  1  have  been  astonished,  and  deeply  im- 
pressed with  reverential  awe,  on  the  manifest  interposition  of 
Providence  in  my  behalf,  or  rather  in  behalf  of  the  progress  of 
the  glorious  Gospel,  of  which  I  was  the  feeble  advocate.  It 
was  so  in  the  case  of  Mr.  J — -d,  the  man  above  alluded  to  ;  and 
in  numerous  other  instances. 

The  substance  of  the  following  I  had  from  the  lips  of  Mr. 
J — d,  not  a  year  after  my  settlement  in  the  town  ;  but  not  until 
he  had  become  a  hearty  believer  in  the  doctrine  of  God's  Uni- 
versal Grace,  and  one  of  my  warmest  friends  and  most  liberal 
supporters.  He  attended  the  funeral  of  his  brother-in-law,  the 
previous  fall ;  but  the  sermon  stung  him  to  madness ;  and  no- 
thing prevented  him  from  leaving  the  congregation  but  his  regard 
for  the  feelings  of  the  widow  and  her  family.  From  that  mo- 
ment he  was  resolved  to  put  me  down,  at  all  events.  He  knew 
he  would  not  be  allowed  to  do  it  by  physical  force  ;  for  the  law 
protected  me  in  the  enjoyment  of  my  religious  opinions,  and  in 
preaching  equally  with  other  denominations  ;  he  had  no  other 
resource,  therefore,  but  argument ;  and  for  that,  he  did  not,  as 
yet,  feel  himself  fully  qualified  ;  but  he  could  be  ;  and  he  re- 
solved'to  be  so,  fully  and  completely.  He  knew  the  Bible  was 
all  in  his  favor ;  and  he  resolved  to  study  it,  until  he  was  com- 
pletely armed  for  the  contest.  He  therefore  went  at  it  in  ear- 
nest, with  the  sole  design  to  find  weapons  to  break  down  Univer- 
salism. 

On  my  removal  into  the  place,  being  apprised  of  the  prejudices 
of  my  neighbors,  and  observing  their  shyness,  and  their  care- 
fulness to  keep  at  a  distance,  I  resolved  to  use  my  best  endea- 
vors to  change  their  feelings,  and  at  least,  to  draw  them  into  a 
friendly,  neighborly  intercourse.  For  this  purpose  I  called  oft- 
en, and  solicited  calls,  especially  among  the  most  shy  and  fear- 
ful ;  and  soon  succeeded,  in  most  cases,  to  produce  a  more  friend- 
ly manifestation  of  feeling.  Among  others,  I  called  on  Mr. 
J — d,  and  transacted  some  little  trifling  business  with  him.  He 
expressed  a  desire  to  have  a  lengthy  conversation  with  me,  on 
the  subject  of  my  doctrine  ;  but  observed,  "  we  have  not  time 
now."  Well,  Mr.  J — d,  I  replied,  any  time  when  you  have 
leisure,  call  on  me,  or  let  me  know,  and  I  will  call  on  you  ;  and 


I  SB  MEMOIRS    OF   TITE 

will  devote  any  length  of  time  you  desire.  Several  times  id 
the  course  of  the  season,  he  made  similar  remarks  to  me  ;  but 
he  was  a  very  busy  man,  and  never  found  opportunity  for  the  de- 
sired discussion.  But  before  the  season  closed,  we  had  a  con- 
versation ;  and  he  then  remarked,  that  he  wanted  to  talk  with  me 
on  the  subject  of  religion  ;  but  not  with  the  same  feelings,  or 
sentiments,  as  formerly.  He  then  informed  me  of  what  I  have, 
in  substance,  related  above  ;  and  said,  that  every  time  he  opened 
his  Bible  to  find  weapons  against  Universalism,  he  found  sharper 
against  his  own  creed, — and,  in  despite  of  his  efforts  to  avoid  it, 
strong  proof  in  favor  of  the  doctrine  he  so  much  wanted  to  de- 
stroy. He  would  feel  confounded,  and  almost  vexed,  and  shut 
his  book.  But  after  a  while,  would  try  it  again,  and  would 
meet  with  a  similar  repulse — and  after  wearying  himself  a  long 
time  in  this  way,  he  took  his  Bible  with  a  very  different  resolu- 
tion, and  that  was,  to  find  what  it  did  teach  irrespective  of  creeds  ; 
and  it  was  not  long  before  the  truth,  in  all  its  harmony,  and 
beauty,  and  glory,  beamed  with  divine  clearness  upon  his  under- 
standing !  And  now  he  was  able  to  rejoice  in  full  assurance 
of  the  ""  Restitution  of  all  things,  which  God  hath  spoken  by 
the  mouth  of  all  his  holy  prophets,  since  the  world  began." 

During  this  summer,  v/hile  building  a  house  on  my  own 
land,  we  resided  in  a  house  with  an  old  gentleman  ^and  his 
wife,  by  the  name  of  Tylor.  The  old  gentleman  had  never 
made  a  public  profession  of  religion,  though  he  was  a  very 
constant  attendant  at  meeting — but  his  wife  had,  for  years, 
been  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  They  were 
friendly  people,  and  had  never  manifested  that  acrimony  which 
I  had  met  with  in  many  other  families  ;  besides,  several  of  iheir 
sons,  who  all  had  families,  and  were  living  in  other  parts  of 
the  town,  were  giving  a  listening  and  favorable  ear  to  the  doc- 
trine. During  our  residence  in  his  house,  the  old  gentleman 
became  very  much  attached  to  me  and  my  family  ;  and  after 
our  removal  into  our  own  house,  scarcely  failed  a  day  in  call- 
ing and  chatting  awhile,  and  playing  with  our  little  boy  ;  never- 
theless, he  never  attended  my  meetings  except  on  funeral  oc- 
casions ;  and  never  manifested  any  sympathy  for  the  doctrine. 
Early  the  summer  following  (1809.)  the  old  gentleman  was  ta- 
ken sick  ;  and  very  soon  his  disease  assumed  a  fatal  tendency  ; 
and  all  hope  of  his  recovery  was  given  up.  I  visited  him 
nearly  every  day,  from  the  commencement  of  his  sickness, 
and  endeavored,  by  all  means  in  my  power,  to  administer  to 
his  temporal  comfort ;  but  carefully  avoided  all  doctrinal  eoR- 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  199 

versation.  I  frequently  conversed  with  him  on  the  subject  of 
religion,  and  the  consolations  of  a  Christian  hope,  in  the  ap- 
proaching hour  of  dissolution,  and  always  found  him  recon- 
ciled and  cheerful  ;  but  I  sedulously  avoided  alluding  either  to 
hisj  or  rny  creed.  Soon  he  began  to  request  me  to  pray  with 
him,  with  which  I  most  cheerfully  complied.  At  length  he 
said,  "  I  want  you  to  pray  with  me  every  day,  it  makes  me  feel 
so  comfortable."  I  did  so,  always  when  about  home.  And 
his  wife  told  me  he  would  always  manifest  a  degree  of  impa- 
tience, if  I  was  not  there  at  the  time  expected ;  and  when  off 
at  my  appointments,  he  would  often  inquire  if  it  was  not  time 
for  me  to  return.  One  day,  his  wife  said  to  me,  "  I  fear  Mr. 
Tylor  is  stupid — there  he  lies,  he  can  live  but  a  few  days  at 
most ;  and  he  manifests  no  anxiety  about  his  soul.  I  have 
tried  to  make  him  willing  for  Mr.  N. — [Mr.  N.  was  the  Pres- 
byterian clergyman]  to  come  and  talk  with  him  ;  but  he  does 
not  want  him.  I  wish  you  would  converse  with  him,  closely, 
about  his  future  hopes."  VVhy,  (said  I,)  Mrs.  T.,  he  is  as  well 
prepared  to  die,  as  any  man  I  ever  saw.  He  is  perfectly  at 
peace  with  God  and  man,  reconciled  to  the  Divine  will,  be- 
lieves in  Christ,  as  the  Savior  of  sinners,  and  hopes  for  eternal 
salvation  through  His  mediation  ;  and  what  can  you  desire 
more  ?  But  if  you  wish,  I  will  talk  with  him  in  your  presence. 
We  went  into  the  room  together — I  said  to  him.  How  do  you 
feel  to-day,  Mr.  Tylor?  "Oh,"  he  said,  holding  out  his 
hand  with  his  usual  smile,  "I  am  here  yet  ;  and  as  comforta- 
ble  as  could  be  expected."  You  are  very  sick,  said  I,  are  you 
not  ?  "  Yes,  I  am  very  sick."  Have  you  any  hopes  of  recov- 
ery ?  "  No,  none  at  all ;  I  can  live  but  a  few  days,  at  most." 
And  how  do  you  feel  about  dying — have  you  any  fears  in  re- 
gard to  your  future  state  ?  "  None  at  all — I  feel  perfectly 
reconciled  to  the  Divine  will,  have  no  wish  to  alter  it — I  am 
as  ready  and  as  willing  to  die  now,  as  I  ever  can  be."  In 
what,  or  in  whom  do  you  trust  for  future  happiness  ?  "  In 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ — I  believe  in  liim,  and  I  trust  in  his 
merits  for  salvation."  Much  more  was  said  ;  I  talked  as  long^ 
as  I  thought  he  could  bear  it,  without  injury;  but  the  foregoing 
gives  the  important  substance  of  our  conversation.  I  then 
turned  to  Mrs.  T.,  and  asked,  "  What  can  you  want  more  ? 
Can  you  expect  it  possible  to  find  a  soul  in  better  preparation  ?" 
But  she  was  not  satisfied.  She  at  length  prevailed  on  him  to 
have  Mr.  N.  visit  him  and  pray  with  him.  Mr.  N.  came ; 
and  after  a  rather  lengthy  visit,  (at  which,  however,  I  was  not 


200  MEMOIRS   OF    THE 

present,  having  gone  on  my  parochial  duties,)  pronounced  him 
one  of  the  most  hardened  sinners  he  ever  saw  on  a  death-bed  ! 

I  had  assisted  Mr.  Tylor  in  settling  his  temporal  concerns,  had 
written  his  will,  and,  by  his  urgent  request,  was  named  in  the 
will  as  the  executor.  One  day,  while  several  of  his  children 
were  present,  adverting  first  to  the  arrangement  of  his  temporal 
concerns  and  the  prospect  of  his  immediate  dissolution,  he  very 
feelingly  addressed  me,  aind  requested  me  to  preach  his  funeral 
sermon.  This  was  very  unexpected  to  me,  and  probably  equally 
30  to  all  present.  He  had  never  attended  my  meeting,  except 
on  funeral  occasions,  and  I  presume  had  never  heard  me  more 
than  twice  on  such  occasions,  at  most ;  but  had  always  been  a 
constant  attendant  on  the  Presbyterian  meeting.  I  however  re- 
plied, that  should  I  outlive  him,  and  God  in  his  providence 
should  enable  me,  I  would  willingly  attend  the  solemn  duty,  pro- 
vided it  should  be  agreeable  to  his  surviving  family.  He  then 
asked  his  wife,  and  children  present,  if  they  were  willing,  and 
they  all  replied  in  the  affirmative  ;  and  several  times  before  his 
death,  he  repeated  this  request  in  the  presence  of  his  wife. 

One  of  my  regular  apf)ointments  was  in  the  town  of  Homer, 
distant  about  forty  miles.  Before  leaving  on  Saturday  mornings 
I  called  to  see  Mr.  Tylor,  and,  as  usual,  attended  prayer  with 
him,  and  found  him  very  low.  He  said,  "I'm  very  sorry  you 
are  going  away ;  I  am  afraid  I  shall  not  live  until  you  return.'" 
I  replied,  "  I  would  forego  my  visit  there  on  your  account ;  but 
I  preach  with  them  only  once  in  a  month,  and  a  disappointment 
makes  so  long  an  interval  that  it  is  quite  discouraging  to  them." 
"  Well,"  said  he,  brightening  up  with  a  smile,  "return  as  soon 
as  you  can  ;  I  feel  now  as  though  I  should  live  to  see  you  again. ^* 
I  replied,  "  I  A\'ill  ride  out  to  day,  and  to-morrow  make  my  ser- 
vices as  short  as  propriety  will  admit ;  then  start  directly  on  my 
way  back,  and,  Providence  permitting,  I  will  be  here  by  Mon- 
day at  noon."  "  Well,  be  as  spry  as  you  can,"  he  responded. 
"  I  will,  Mr.  Tylor,  and  I  have  a  hope  w^e  shall  see  each  other 
again  in  the  flesh."  But,  alas  !  our  hope  was  fallacious — he  died 
before  the  next  morning. 

*  I  was  faithful  to  my  promise;  made  the  utmost  expedition  in 
my  power,  and  arrived  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Tylor  a  little  before 
twelve  o'clock  on  Monday :  but  they  were  too  expeditious  for 
me.  I  could  not  even  see  the  corpse, — the  procession  Avas  just 
moving  away  from  his  house  to  the  grave,  as  I  came  in  sight  of 
his  premises.  The  old  lady  and  the  opposing  part  of  the  family- 
took  advantage  of  my  absence,  and  hurried  the  funeral  so  as  to 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  201 

prevent  a  compliance  with  the  request  of  the  deceased,  and  save 
themselves  the  pain  of  hearing  a  Universalist.  But  it  was  all 
overruled  for  good,  and,  as  such  unchristian  proceedings  uni- 
formly have  done,  tended  to  advance  the  cause  they  were  de- 
sio-ned  to  overthrow.  The  discourse  delivered  on  the  occasion, 
together  with  the  accompanying  exercises,  and  the  well-known 
noil-conformity  to  the  last  request  of  the  deceased,  tended  to  ex- 
cite  far  more  sympathy  for  the  persecuted  doctrine,  and  inquiry 
into  its  merits,  than  any  discourse  I  could  have  delivered. 

The  Presbyterian  clergyman,  Mr.  N.,who  had  prejudged  the 
deceased,  was,  of  course,  called  to  officiate.  His  text  was  Eccl. 
9  :  10.  "  For  there  is  no  work,  nor  device,  nor  knowledge,  nor 
wisdom  in  the  grave,  whither  thou  goest."  He  represented  the 
deceased  as  an  old  hardened  sinner,  dying  in  a  state  of  impeni- 
tence,  and  therefore  beyond  the  reach  of  mercy  !  The  hymns 
he  selected  for  the  occasion  were  enough  to  curdle  the  blood  m 
a  sympathetic  heart,  and  drive  a  fearful  soul  into  utter  despair. 
For  his  first,  he  selected  from  Watts,  second  book,  52d  hymn, 
which  commences  with 

"  Death  !  'tis  a  melancholy  day 
To  those  that  have  no  God  ; 

When  the  poor  soul  is  forced  away, 
To  seeK  her  last  abode." 
For  the  second,  he  read  the  88th  hymn  of  the  first  book,  which 
closes  with  the  following  stanza  : 

"  There  are  no  acts  of  pardon  past, 

In  the  cold  grave  to  which  we  haste  ; 

But  darkness,  death,  and  long  despair 

Reign  in  eternal  silence  there." 

And  for  his  third,  the  91st  hymn  of  the  same  book,  which  con- 
tains the  following  stanza : 

"  Behold  the  aged  sinner  goes, 

Laden  wiih  guilt  and  heavy  woes, 

Down  to  the  regions  of  the  dead, 

With  endless  curses  on  his  head." 
The  whole  congregation  were  disgusted,  except  a  few  malignant 
spirits ;  and  the  feelings  of  the  mourners  abused  and  outraged 
insufferably.  The  widow  subsequently  told  me  whh  great  man-; 
ilestation  of  sensibility,  that  she  blamed  herself  severely  for  not 
complying  with  her  husband's  request,  by  waiting  for  my  return; 
that  her  feelings  were  tantalized  and  wounded  beyond  any  thing 
she  ever  before  experienced,  or  could  have  dreamed  of;  and  the 
whole  neighborhood  felt  shamefully  abused  by  this  scandaliza- 
tion  of  the  character  of  their  deceased  neighbor.  Mr.  Tylor  had 
lived  a  sober,  moral  life — was  a  close  observer  of  the  Sabbath, 


202  MEMOIRS   OF   THE 

and  a  constant  attendant  on  religious  worship ;  and  through  a 
long  life  had  maintained  as  inoffensive  a  character  as  flesh  and 
blood  could  maintain  ;  and  he  was  respected  by  all  his  acquaint- 
ances. But  all  this  obloquy  upon  his  memory — all  this  tantaliza- 
tion  of  the  feelings  of  his  bereaved  family — all  this  abuse  of  his 
neighbors,  he  had  incurred  simply  because  he  had  not  bowed  tq 
the  idol  of  Presbyterianism,  had  associated  with  a  Universalist 
near  the  close  of  his  life,  and  requested  him  to  officiate  at  his 
funeral. 

The  fourth  session  of  our  Association,  (1909.)  was  holden  in 
Norwich,  Chenango  county.  Mr.  Dean  and  Mr.  Carrique  at- 
tended as  a  delegation  from  the  General  Convention  ;  and  the 
three  preachers  in  the  State,  Mr.  Ferris,  Mr.  Bal^bit,  and  myself 
were  present,  making  the  formidable  number  of  five  !  Mr.  Bal- 
lon was  again  appointed  on  the  committee,  but  being  about  this 
time,  I  believe,  making  arrangements  to  remove  from  Barnard, 
Vermont,  to  Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire,  he  could  not  well 
attend.  It  was  a  disappointment  to  many  expecting  friends  ;  but 
notwithstanding  we  enjoyed  a  happy  and  profitable  season.  Our 
meeting  for  public  worship  was  holden  in  the  court-house,  and 
a  vast  concourse  of  people,  for  those  days,  assembled.  Several 
societies  had  been  organized  since  the  last  meeting  of  this  body, 
which  were  here  represented  by  authorized  delegates.  Our  two 
visiting  brethren  from  the  east,  though  young,  were  able  advo- 
cates of  the  Great  Salvation ;  and  acquitted  themselves,  on  this 
occasion,  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  the  waiting  congregation, 
and  the  furtherance  of  the  cause  of  truth  in  that  region.  At  this 
Association,  too,  we  were  encouraged  by  the  prospect  of  an  ac- 
cession to  the  ministry  ;  and  the  addition  of  even  one  to  our  littk 
band  was  abundant  cause  of  gratulation.  Mr.  William  Baker, 
a  Methodist  local  preacher,  attended  this  meeting,  made  a  pathetic 
declaration  of  his  conversion  to  the  faith  of  Universal  Salvation, 
and  asked  for  a  letter  of  fellov/ship  as  a  preacher  of  the  unlim- 
ited grace  of  God.  But  as  he  was  a  total  stranger  to  most,  or 
all  of  us,  and  had  no  letter  or  credentials  commendatory  of  his 
moral  or  Christian  character,  we  thought  it  prudent  to  require  a 
certificate  of  regular  dismission  from  his  former  connection,  or, 
at  least,  some  testimonials  of  his  moral  character  ;  and  therefore 
jx)stponed  any  further  action  in  regard  to  his  request,  except  cor- 
dially greeting  him,  and  advising  him  to  improve  his  talent 
wherever  God,  in  his  providence,  should  open  a  door,  until  such 
credentials  could  be  obtained.  He  succeeded  in  obtaining  his 
vouchers,  and,  at  the  next  session  of  the  council,  received  a  \eU 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  203 

ter  of  fellowship.     But,  alas  !  he  was  of  little  service  to  the  cause; 
although  a  man  of  irreproachable  moral  habits,  yet  he  possessed 
no  stroliiT  intellectual  faculties  ;  was  vacillating  in  his  opinions,     i 
and  not  finding  sufficient  encouragement  to  satisfy  his  own  mind, 
he,  in  a  few  years,  left  the  ministry,  and  shortly  afterward  re-    : 
nounced  the  faith,  and  united  with  the  Baptists.     I  visited  him 
once  after  his  renunciation,  but  used  no  argument  to  reclaim  him. 
I  merely  remarked  to  him,  tliat  neither  his  faith  nor  mine  made     ; 
or  altered  the  truth— truth  was  eternal  and  unchangeable,  and    ! 
independent  of  all  foith  ;  and,  if  he  were  happy,  it  was  all  I  felt    \ 
solicitous  about  in  his  case.     But,  alas!  he  had  lost  his_ wonted 
cheerfulness,  and  a  gloomy  despondency  had  settled  on  his  coun-    ; 
tenance.  i 

The  cause  now  began  to  assume  a  still  more  important  and    i 
encouraginrr  aspect,  in  this  western  country.     In  the  course  of  , 
this  yea?,  (I  mean  by  the  year  the  time  intervening  between  the 
sessions  of  our  Association,  as  from  June,  1809,  to  June,  1810,) 
I  had  the  happiness  of  introducing  the  doctrine  into  a  number 
of  towns,  mostly  within  the  limits  of  my  former  travels,  but  where  , 
it  had  never  before  been  proclaimed  by  me,  and  very  seldom,  if  | 
ever,  by  any  one  else ;  viz.,  Sherburne,  Smyrna,  Butternuts,  ] 
Nelson,  Smithfield,  and  Augusta;   and  we  had  the  prospect  of  ! 
soon  obtaining  an  important  accession  to  the  ministry  in  that  : 
country.     If  1  mistake  not,  Mr.  Dean,  in  the  course  of  his  visit 
this   year,  made  an  enoacrement  to  settle  with  the  society  in 
Whitestown  ;  and,  in  the^fall  of  this  year,  Mr.  Winslow,  to  whom  : 
I  have  had  occasion  heretofore  to  allude,  became  converted  to  : 
the  faith,  and  commenced  preaching  the  Great  Salvation. 

I  must  be  permitted  to  interlard  my  otherwise  dry  history  with 
occasional  anecdotes,  illustrating  our  mode  of  operation,  show- 
ino-  the  diversified  geniuses  we  met  with  among  our  opposers,  1 
and  their  varied  mode  of  attack  ;  for  we  scarcely  ever  held  a 
meeting,  especially  in  a  new  place,  without  being  attacked  in 
some  form.     On  my  first  visit  to  Augusta,  after  delivering  my  j 
messao-e,  I  gave  liberty  for  remarks  as  usual ;  but  no  one  mani-  j 
festedlm  inclination  to  speak,  the  congregation  were  dismissed,  i 
and  I  repaired  to  the  house  of  a  friend  about  one  hundred  rods  | 
distant.     But  my  hearers  did  not  all  forsake  me  ;  to  this  place  I 
a  number  followed,  enough,  at  any  rate,  to  closely  line  a  large  j 
room ;  and  here  they  were  ready  enough  to  break  silence  with  1 
question  after  question,  from  different  individuals,  which  proba- ; 
bly  kept  me  talking  for  more  than  one  hour.     Among  the  com- 1 
pany  was  a  man  who' had  been  pretty  officious  in  proposing  diffi-| 


204  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

culties,  as  he  no  doubt  supposed,  and  seemed  resolved  to  get  me 
entangled  by  some  means,  not  being  very  scrupulous  as  to  the 
kind.  He  said  to  ms,  in  rather  a  gruff  manner,  "  I  suppose 
sir,  you  profess  to  balieve  in  Christ."  I  replied,  "  I  should  not 
engage  in  the  ministry  of  his  Gospel,  and  make  all  the  sacrifices 
I  am  compelled  to  make  in  consequence,  and  expose  myself  to 
all  the  obloquy  and  persecution  I  am  destined  thereby  to  meet 
with  in  the  discharge  of  that  arduous  and  solemn  duty,  without 
an  unshsaken  faith  in  the  Savior  of  the  world."  "Well,  sir/' 
said  he,  "  can  you  show  your  faith  by  your  works — by  the  signs 
which  he  said  should  follow  those  who  believed  on  him?"  "I 
think  1  can,  sir."  He  then  looked  around  significantly  upon  the 
company,  no  doubt  thinking  he  had  at  length  entrapped  me  ;  but 
I  was  well  aware  of  his  wiles  ;  and  fixing  my  eye  steadily  upon 
him,  felt  prepared  for  the  opening  of  his  heaviest  battery,  and 
awaited  the  attack.  "  Well,"  said  he,  "  Christ  says,  He  that  be- 
lieveth  in  my  name  shall  cast  out  devils,  &c.  Can  you  work 
those  miracles  ?"  "Yes."  His  eyes  then  glared  with  utter  as- 
tonishment, and  he  proceeded  to  state  his  questions  more  defi- 
nitely. "  Can  you  heal  the  sick,  by  laying  your  hands  on  them  ?" 
"  Yes."  "  Can  you  raise  the  dead  ?"  ""Yes."  "Can  you  drink 
poison,  and  not  be  hurt  by  it  ?"  "Yes."  "Can  you  let  a  poi- 
sonous serpent  bite  you,  and  feel  no  injury  ?"  "  Yes."  I  had  , 
during  these  questions  and  answers  kept  a  close  watch  of  the 
company,  to  see  that  no  one  left  the  room  until  I  should  have  an 
opportunity  to  explain  ;  and  after  I  had  answered  Yes  to  several 
of  his  questions,  I  noticed  an  old  lady  fetch  a  deep  sigh,  and  be- 
gin to  rise.  1  broke  in  upon  his  questions  enough  to  say  to  her, 
"  Madam,  have  the  goodness  to  keep  your  seat — you  do  not  now 
understand  me.  If  you  will  be  so  kind  as  to  wait  until  I  have 
an  opportunity  to  explain  myself,  you  will  leave  with  very  dif- 
ferent views  from  what  you  will  if  you  leave  now;"  and  the 
old  lady  quietly  took  her  seat  again.  After  he  had  proposed  the 
foregoing  questions  he  stopped,  with  apparently  breathless  as- 
tonishment at  my  presumption,  and  fixed  his  eye  sternly  upon 
me.  I  then  said,  "  Sir,  I  have  answered  all  your  questions  di- 
rectly and  plainly ;  and,  with  your  permission,  I  will  now  en- 
deavor to  explain  myself." 

"  I  firmly  believe  that  the  immediate  disciples  of  our  blessed 
Lord,  and  the  first  preachers  of  his  Gospel,  during  the  apostolic 
age  had  power  to  work  miracles  literally  ;  but  after  that  period, 
when  Judaism  was  abolished,  and  the  truth  of  the  Gospel  fully 
attested,  they  were  no  longer  necessary,  nar  has  any  one  had  the 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL     STACY.  205 

gift  of  miracles  since  ;  and  all  who  have  pretended  to  have  such 
gift,  from  the  Pope  of  Rome  down  to  the  most  ignorant  quack  in 
religion,  have  been  impostors.  But,  sir,  there  is  a  spirituality 
in  these  things.  The  Savior  says,  '  The  flesh  profiteth  nothing  ; 
my  words,  that  I  speak  unto  you,  they  are  spirit,  and  they  are 
life.'  Now,  I  do  not  pretend  to  do  these  things  literally ;  but,  if 
I  am  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  I  can  do  them  spiritu- 
ally. You  asked  me,  if  I  could  lay  my  hands  on  the  sick,  and 
heal  them.  I  answered,  Yes.  Now,  there  are  other  ailments 
besides  physical.  Sin  is  represented  as  a  disease  in  the  Scrip. 
tures.  'The  whole  head  is  sick,  and  the  whole  heart  is  faint.' 
Christ  is  the  great  Physician,  and  his  truth  the  medicine.  '  If 
ye  believe  the  truth,  the  truth  shall  make  you  free,'  [ivelL]  If 
I  am  a  preacher  of  Christ's  Gospel,  I  am  commissioned  by  him 
to  administer  this  medicine.  If  I  can,  therefore,  lay  my  hands 
upon  the  sick,  that  is,  if  I  can  approach  them  so  as  to  communi- 
cate to  them  the  knowledge  of  the  truth,  they  will  be  restored 
to  health.  You  asked  me,  if  I  could  raise  the  dead.  Although 
Christ  did  not  enumerate  this  among  the  signs  that  were  to  follow 
tlie  believer,  yet  I  answered  in  the  affirmative  ;  for  '  the  wages  of 
sin  is  death  ' — all  have  sinned,  therefore  all  have  become  dead. 
But  our  Savior  has  said, '  He  that  heareth  my  word,  and  belie veth 
on  him  that  sent  me,  hath  everlasting  life,  and  shall  not  come 
into  condemnation,  but  is  passed  from  death  unto  life.'  Now  if 
I  be  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel,  I  am  authorized  to  teach  men  the 
knowledge  of  the  truth  whereby  they  are  enabled  to  believe  on 
God  ;  and,  therefore,  I  am  instrumental  in  raising  them  from  the 
dead.  You  asked  me,  if  I  could  drink  poison  without  hurting 
me.  I  answered,  Yes.  I  recollect  of  reading  that,  in  ancient 
times,  v/hen  the  family  of  the  prophet  had  become  very  much 
enlarged,  and  there  was  a  dearth  in  the  land,  he  sent  out  his  ser- 
vants to  gather  herbs  for  pottage  ;  and  some  of  them  being  ig- 
norant and  unskilful  in  the  use  of  many  varieties,  gathered  the 
wild  gourd  ;  and  when  it  was  served  to  the  guests,  some  of  them 
discovered  the  danger,  and  cried  out, '  O,  thou  man  of  God,  there 
is  death  in  the  pot;'  and  Elisha  call^  for  meal,  which  he  cast 
into  the  pot,  and  they  could  then  eat  of  it  without  injury.  Now 
there  are,  even  in  this  age,  many  unskilful  servants  gathering 
herbs  to  seeth  and  make  pottage;  and  they  are  exceedingly  apt 
to  gather  much  of  the  wild  gourd  ;  but  I  have  the  meal  of  Elisha, 
to  sprinkle  into  the  pot ;  and  can  therefore  eat  at  their  tables 
without  harm.  You  asked  me,  if  I  could  take  up  poisonous 
serpents,  &c.     I  answered,  Yes.     The  serpents  that  I  can  take 


306  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

up  arc  those  vory  animals  which  emit  this  poison  that  I  have 
been  speaking  of;  and  I  can  handle  thorn  with  all  the  pleasure 
imaginable  ;  and  their  bite  is  as  harmless  to  me  as  the  bite  of  a 
fly."  By  tlie  time  I  had  concluded  my  explanatory  remarks, 
the  faces  of  my  audience  had  assumed  a  very  different  appear- 
ance from  what  they  were  at  the  commencement ;  and  that  of 
my  catechizer,  especially,  had  lost  its  rigidity  ;  he  smiled  ap- 
provingly, and  said,  "  hbelieve  you  are  right,  sir." 

Among  the  stale  and  stereotyped  remarks  of  opposers,  no  one 
was  more  common  and  popular  than  "  Universalism  will  do  to 
live  by,  but  it  will  not  do  to  die  by."  Bat  a  dispensation  of  di- 
vine Providence,  which  occurred  in  Hamilton  this  year,  (1810,) 
in  the  month  of  January,  imposed  an  everlasting  silence  upon 
this  senseless  saying,  in  that  vicinity.  There  was  a  widow,  by 
the  name  of  Murdock,  who  had  quite  a  numerous  family,  nearly 
or  quite  all  of  whom  became  early  attendants  at  Universalist 
meetings  ;  and  she  soon  united  with  the  church,  and  subsequently 
one  of  her  sons.  Among  the  members  of  her  family  was  a  fine 
girl,  whose  name  was  Sally;  and,  for  a  year  or  two,  she  was  as 
constantly  at  meeting  as  any  member  of  the  family,  or  indeed 
any  other  person.  But  an  excitement,  or  a  revival -as  it  was 
called,  was  got  up  among  the  Presbyterians  ;  and  great  exertions 
were  made  to  induce  people,  especially  the  youth,  to  attend  their 
meetings,  and  considerable  effect  was  produced  ;  and  among  the 
subjects  was  the  young  lady  above  named.  She,  consequently, 
forsook  our  meetings ;  for  every  terror  was  brought  into  requisi- 
tion to  frighten  them  from  Universalist  meetings,  and  to  rivet 
the  manacles  of  Partialism  upon  them  in  the  morning  of  life. 
She,  however,  did  not  unite  with  the  church,  but,  for  a  year  or 
more,  was  a  constant  attendant  on  their  meetings,  related  her  ex- 
perience, and  was,  by  their  leaders,  pronounced  a  true  convert, 
and  an  heir  of  salvation.  During  this  period  I  had  frequent  con- 
versations with  her  on  the  subject  of  religion,  at  the  home  of  her 
mother  where  I  often  visited  ;  but  I  never  introduced  the  subject 
of  peculiar  sectarian  opinions,  nor  ever  inquired  of  her  the  rea- 
son of  forsaking  our  meetings.  Our  conversation  embraced  the 
subject  of  experimental  and  practical  religion,  and  nothing  more. 
After  the  lapse  of  about  a  year,  she  again  ventured  to  go  to  our 
meeting ;  from  that  time  she  occasionally  came  with  the  rest  of 
the  family  ;  but  no  explanation  took  place — nothing  was  said  by 
me,  nor  any  of  her  relatives,  directly  to  her  to  indoctrinate  her 
into  our  faith,  or  to  persuade  her  to  attend  our  meetings,  but  she 
was  left  to  her  free  and  uncontrolled  choice. 


LIFE    OF    EEV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  207 

111  the  fall  of  1809,  she  was  taken  sick.  She  was  away  from 
home  when  attacked,  nurshig  the  sick.  A  mortal  sickness  was 
prevailing  extensively  in  the  town;  and  when  carried  home  she 
told  her  mother,  and  the  family,  that  she  felt  sure  she  should  not 
recover.  However,  they  felt  no  alarm  for  several  days,  and 
even  weeks ;  but  her  fever,  after  continuing  a  long  while,  as- 
sumed a  more  malignant  aspect,  and  they  soon  gave  up  all  hope 
of  her  recovery.  1  had  heard  of  her  sickness,  but  being  very 
busily  engaged,  and  supposing  that  a  visit  from  me  would  add 
little  or  nothing  to  her  enjoyment,  especially  as  I  was  informed 
that  Mr.  N.,  the  Presbyterian  clergyman,  was  very  constantly 
at  her  bed-side,  I  did  not  make  it  convenient  to  call.  But  on  the 
Sunday  before  she  died,  her  brother  came  to  me  after  meeting, 
and  said  his  sister  was  evidently  near  her  end,  and  had  manifested 
a  strong  desire  to  see  me.  I  went  home  with  him,  and  there 
learned  what  had  just  transpired. 

In  order  for  the  reader  fully  to  understand,  it  will  be  neces- 
sary to  digress  a  little  here,  and  introduce,  briefly,  another  cir- 
cumstance. A  man  by  the  name  of  Holmes,  who  had  long 
held  a  conspicuous  standing  in  the  Presbyterian  church,  had 
seceded  from  their  faith  and  embraced  the  doctrine  of  God's 
Univeral  Grace,  and  was  at  this  time,  under  admonition  for  his 
heresy.  Mr.  H.  was  a  very  worthy  man,  and  they  regretted 
much  to  lose  him.  They  therefore  labored  long  and  patient- 
ly with  him  ;  and  as  they  had  been  very  unfortunate  in  losing 
several  of  their  most  valuable  members  in  the  same  way, 
they  resorted  to  every  expedient  their  best  wisdom  could  devise 
to  prevent  his  egress.  Many  letters  had  passed  between  him 
and  his  pastor,  and  every  opportunity  for  conversation  between 
them  was  faithfully  improved.  Mr.  H.  did  not  forsake  their 
meetings,  nor  the  communion-table  until  requested  to  do  so  ; 
he  faithfully  attended  all  their  church-meetings  for  disciplining 
himself,  and  was  always  in  his  seat  on  the  Sabbath  ;  so  that  he 
could  be  accused  of  no  dereliction  of  duty,  except  that  of  for- 
saking his  creed — heresy  was  all  the  crime  they  could  accuse 
him  of.  He  was  always  very  ready  to  defend  his  own  cause  in 
church-meetings,  and  he  and  his  minister  were  very  sure  \o 
have  a  discussion  during  intermission  on  Sundays. 

This  Mr.  H.  was  a  neighbor  of  the  widow  Murdock,  and  on 
Saturday  night  previous  to  my  visit  to  the  sick  young  lady,  Mr. 
H.  and  his  wife  watched  with  her.  Mr.  H.  was  very  deaf,  and 
all  be  could  do  was  to  sit  by  the  fire  and  wait  upon  his  wife, 
while  she  attended  upon  the  patient.     In  the  course  of  the  night, 


208  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

the  sick  girl  said  to  Mrs.  H.  "  I  wish  you  would  ask  Mr.  H.  to 
come  to  the  bed — I  want  to  talk  with  him."  He  went ;  and  what 
1  shall  now  relate,  I  received  from  his  own  mouth.  She  com- 
menced by  asking  him  several  important  doctrinal  questions, 
which  he  answered  according  to  the  best  of  his  ability;  but  felt 
very  much  astonished  at  the  tendency  of  her  questions,  as  he 
and  all  her  acquaintances  supposed  her  to  be  a  strict  Presbyte- 
rian in  sentiment.  After  answering  her  questions,  he  asked  her 
several,  which  slic  readily  and  satisfactorily  answered  ;  which 
led  him  to  ask  her,  emphatically,  "Sally,  what  does  this  mean? 
Are  you  a  Universalist  ?  and  are  you  willing  to  have  your  name 
go  through  good  report  and  through  evil  report  as  such  ?"  She 
answered  unhesitatingly,  "  I  am.  I  have  always  been  afraid  of 
it,  and  have  avoided  the  meetings  lest  I  should  be  led  astray. 
But  since  I  have  been  brought  on  to  a  sick-bed,  which  is  undoubt- 
edly my  death-bed,  I  have  become  fully  settled  and  established 
in  the  faith  of  Universal  Salvation  ;  and  it  has  been  my  support 
through  the  bodily  sufferings  I  have  experienced,  and  it  is  my 
solace  and  my  comfort  in  the  hour  of  approaching  death.  It  has 
reconciled  me  to  God,  enabling  me  to  bow,  without  a  murmur- 
ing thought,  to  his  divine  will.  I  have  rejoiced  in  it,  and  do  re- 
joice ;  and  I  can  no  longer  keep  it  a  secret.  I  shall  probably 
never  see  my  grandfather  again,  (her  grandfather  was  a  worthy 
old  gentleman,  had  long  been  a  decided  Universalist,  and  was 
the  first  who  requested  a  meeting  of  the  order  in  the  town.)  but 
I  wish  you  to  inform  him,  that  I  believe  the  doctrine  without  the 
shadow  of  doubt,  and  that  I  die  rejoicing  in  the  faith  ;  and  1  wish 
all  my  friends,  and  the  world  to  know  it."  Tlie  foregoing  is  tlie 
substance,  and  as  nearly  as  I  can  remember  in  the  same  words, 
as  related  to  me  by  Mr.  Holmes  within  a  day  or  two  after  it 
transpired. 

The  next  day,  Mr.  H.  went,  as  usual,  to  the  Presbyterian 
meeting ;  and  during  the  intermission,  the  following  dialogue  in 
substance  took  place,  between  Mr.  H.,  and  Mr.  N.  his  minister. 

Mr.  JS.  Well,  Mr.  Holmes,  what  do  you  think  of  Universal- 
ism  now  ?  There  is  Sally  Murdock,  has  been  a  Universalist — 
she  has  been  through  Unlversalism,  has  proved  it,  and  re- 
nounced it ;  and  is  now  on  her  death  bed,  as  happy  a  person  as 
I  ever  saw. 

3Ir.  H.  Have  you  seen  Sally  Murdock  lately  ? 

Mr.  iV.  Yes,  I  have  seen  her  several  times  since  she  has 
been  sick — I  was  there  the  other  day,  and  had  a  long  conversa- 
tion with  her. 


LIFE    OF    REV.   NATHANIEL    STACY.  209 

Mr.  H.  And  you  think  she  is  reconciled  and  happy,  do  you? 

Mr.  N.  The  most  so  of  any  person  I  ever  saw  on  a  death-bed. 

Mr.  H.  You  really  believe  that  Sally  Murdock  is  a  Christian, 
-and  an  heir  of  salvation  ? 

Mr.  N.  If  Sally  Murdock  be  not  a  Christian,  I  never  saw  a 
Christian. 

Mr.  H.  Well,  I  am  very  happy  to  tell  you  what  I  think  about  it. 
Pie  then  related  to  him,  circumstantially,  the  interview  which 
he  had  with  her  the  evening  before.  He  said  Mr  N.  was  com- 
pletely struck  dumb!  He  had  entrapped  himself;  and  there 
was  no  escape.  He  had  voluntarily,  and  even  exultingly,  pro- 
nounced Sally  Murdock  a  Christian,  and  the  most  reconciled  and 
happy  person  he  had  ever  seen  on  a  death-bed ;  and  then  to 
learn,  (for  he  dared  not  to  dispute  the  veracity  of  Mr.  H.,)  to 
learn  that  it  was  the  very  doctrine  that  he  condemned — that  he 
pronounced  the  doctrine  of  the  devil,  and  which  he  had  often 
said  would  not  do  to  die  by,  that  gave  her  this  support,  that 
made  her  thus  reconciled  and  happy,  and  afforded  her  that  con- 
solation and  hope  in  the  hour  of  approaching  dissolution,  com- 
pletely  confounded  him.  Mr.  H.  said  that  he  attempted  no  re- 
ply,  but  changed  his  countenance,  choked,  turned  around,  and 
walked  away. 

As  before  observed,  I  visited  her  on  Sunday  evening,  and  re- 
mained until  nine  o'clock.  She  was  very  feeble,  and  could  talk 
but  little  herself;  but  enough,  however,  to  express  her  faith,  and 
tell  me  how  happy  it  made  her.  By  her  request  we  united  in 
prayer  ;  1  bade  her  farewell — and  she  died  before  morning. 
This  was  then  a  house  of  affliction;  but,  blessed  be  God,  the  in- 
mates mourned  not  as  those  who  have  no  hope.  She  had  a  sis- 
ter, younger  than  herself,  who  was  married  a  few  years  before 
this  event,  residing  just  out  of  the  neighborhood,  who  was  sick 
at  the  same  time,  and  died  an  hour  or  two  before  Sally.  Her 
remains  were  brought  to  the  house  of  her  mother,  and,  on  the 
tenth  day  of  January,  1810,  I  delivered  a  discourse  at  their  fu- 
neral to  a  very  large  concourse  of  people.  So  numerous  was 
the  congregation  that,  notwithstanding  the  house  contained  three 
spacious  rooms  on  the  ground,  besides  other  apartments,  only 
a  portion  of  the  people  could  crowd  into  it ;  and  although  it  was 
in  the  winter  season,  the  weather  however  not  tedious,  they  were 
compelled  to  take  out  a  window  in  order  to  hear  me,  and  I  stood 
before  it  so  as  to  address  the  people  without  as  well  as  within. 
Although  it  was  a  deeply  solemn  and  mournful  occasion,  yet  I 
enjoyed  a  heart-felt  satisfaction,  in  accordance  with  the  desire 


210  MEMOIRS  OP  THE 

of  the  deceased  young  lady,  in  publicly  announcing  to  the  world 
the  triumph  of  her  faith,  in  refutation  of  the  trite  saying,  XJni' 
versalism  will  not  do  to  die  hy.  At  the  same  time,  1  was  inex- 
pressibly gratified  in  seeing,  among  the  congregation,  the  face 
of  Mr.  N.,  the  Presbyterian  clergyman,  so  that  he  might  hear 
this  truth  ;  although  no  doubt  severely  grating  to  the  feelings  of 
his  pious  Pharisceism. 

This  same  testimony  was  confirmed  in  following  years,  by  a 
number  of  instances ;  one  or  two  of  which  I  will  take  the  lib- 
erty to  record. 

There  was  a  young  lady,  daughter  of  Capt.  Elisha  Fuller, 
one  of  the  earliest  converts  to  Universalism  m  Hamilton,  who 
had  consequently  been  educated  in  the  doctrine  from  childhood. 
She  had  never  passed  through  the  ordeal  of  Partialism,  and  con- 
sequently never  experienced  the  heart-rending  agonies  of  popu- 
lar conviction  ;  but  "  From  a  child"  she  knew  "the  Scriptures, 
which  were  able  to  make  her  wise  unto  salvation,  through  faith 
which  is  in  Christ  Jesus."  She  eventually  married,  and  became 
a  near  neighbor  of  mine.  While  yet  in  the  bloom  of  life,  she 
was  attacked  with  a  fatal  disease ;  and  she  soon,  as  well  as  her 
friends,  gave  up  all  hopes  of  her  recovery.  Her  life  had  been 
a  practical  illustration  of  the  superior  excellency  of  our  holy 
faith — she  had  always  professed  it,  and,  as  far  as  circumstances 
would  admit,  had  been  a  constant  attendant  on  public  worship  ; 
and  her  moral  character  bade  defiance  to  the  tongue  of  slander, 
I  visited  her  nearly  every  day,  when  about  home,  during  her 
sickness.  1  always  found  her  patient,  reconciled,  cheerful,  and 
happy — always  ready  to  talk  about  the  hopelessnes  of  her  case, 
her  approaching  dissolution,  and  the  strength  of  her  future  hope 
— it  seemed  the  theme  on  which  she  delighted  most  to  meditate, 
and  to  converse.  One  day,  while  sitting  by  her  bed-side,  some 
lines  from  one  of  Watts'  hymns  came  into  my  mind,  and  I  re-^ 
peated  them : 

"  Why  should  we  start  and  fear  to  die  ? 
Whattim'rous  worms  we  mortals  are  1 
Death  is  the  gate  to  endless  joy, 
And  yet  we  dread  to  enter  there." 

She  looked  into  my  face  with  a  smile,  and  said,  "  I  have  none  of 
that  fear — none  of  that  dread.  I  am  ready  and  willing  to  go  at 
any  moment  when  I  am  called."  One  night  the  watchers 
thought  .she  was  dying,  and  called  her  husband  who  had  laid 
down.  On  approaching  her  bed,  he  said,  "  Laura,  we  think  you 
are  dying."  She  raised  her  eyes,  and  exclaimed  as  loud  as  her 
feeble  voice  would  enable  her,  "  O,  bless  the  Lord  !"    Thus  she 


LIFE  OF  EEV.  NATHANIEL  STACY.  211 

iived,  and  thus  she  died,  rejoicing  in  the  fluth  of  God's  Univer. 
sal  Grace;  and  added  anotlier  convincing  testimony  to  the  su 
penm-  excellency  of  that  faith-to  its  holy  influenc  J  in  purify 
ing  the  heart,  ni  reconciling  it  to  God,  and  in  giving  fortilude  to 
he  soul,  filling  It  with,  "joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory  ''  a 
the  hour  of  mortal  dissolution.  °     ■*' 

Pph,^f  '™?flNa  ™2''  T"^  y''""  afterwards.  In  the  month  of 
Febiuary  1829,agentlemanbythenameof  Woodhull,thou-h  a 
resident  of  the  town  of  Madison  yet  a  total  strangerto  me,  called 

meZir'V'  ^"  ^""^f /^q"<^'^'  that  I  ^vould  visit  him  im- 
He  ^^  d  ?'r'"  '™m'^  ^  '''™'''  ^'  ^'  '"«  '^""^e  that  day. 
He  sa  d  his  wife  was  evidently  in  the  last  stage  of  consumption 
cou  d  live  certainly  but  a  very  short  time;  and  she  had  so^  fre.' 
T,^^irrTi^  ''"V°  '"''  *"''  "^""^^'-^^  ^"'h  me  before 
not  he  nt"  ff  '  „  ■  T"*^  '"  '""=""5^  "P°"  ''-'hat  she  would 
not  be  put  off  another  day;  and  he  had  come  purposely  after 
me,  and  was  very  an.vious  indeed  that  I  should  return  wiUi  him. 
1  could  not  learn  from  liim  the  particular  state  of  her  feelin<Ts 
nor  wherefore  she  had  this  strong  desire  to  have  an  inteivieV; 
but  yie  ding  to  his  importunities,  I  accompanied  him  home  ;  and 
a  though  a  melancholy,  it  was  nevertheless  one  of  the  most 
pleasant  and  agreeable  interviews  I  ever  enjoyed.  For  there  I 
found  a  woman  a  little  advanced  of  thirty  years,  in  the  prime  of 
hfe  surrounded  with  all  the  conceivable'causes  of  attachment 
to  the  world-a  tender  and  provident  husband,  several  promis- 
ing  young  children,  with  every  temporal  comfort  that  her  heart 
could  desire— yet  in  eostacies  at  the  immediate  prospect  of  death  ' 
strirr/  T'"  ''^!"g„«k«leto".  but  yet  possessed  sufficient 

mondf  ,/'•;'  ""V''"'  ''"'""y'  ^""^  'y^'  ^  bright  asdia. 
monds,  and  mind  as  clear  as  the  light  of  heaven.  After  a  for 
mal  introduction,  she  remarked,  "  We  have  had  no  personal  ac- 
quaintance—you  have  never  known  me.  But  ever  since  this 
disease  has  been  seated  upon  me,  I  have  had  an  irrepressible 
des  le  to  see  and  converse  with  you-a  privilege  which  I  felt  I 

the  hand  n;r'T"VK'^^''y°"'  ^""'  '"^^  ''-"  '^^  instrument,  in 
vpIo,,^  u  ^°':'',°/ bnnging  me  out  of  darkness  into  his  mar. 
veouslght^;  and  I  felt  as  though  I  could  not  die  until  I  saw 
you,  and  iiiiormed  you  how  unspeakably  happy  I  am  in  the  en 

i°r r'  1  "'-''  ^f^  y°"  »^'™'^''-     You  w^^'r^  the  fiiS  man 
«ei  heard  preach  the  Gospel-the  glad  tidings  of  great  joy- 

withaTrr'"f  ff\-''°  ""'°  ""  P«°P'^-  O.  I  beliive  it 
with  all  my  heart-I  believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ-that  he 
IS  the  Savior  of  the.world-that  he  is  able  to  save,  and  that  he 


212  MEMOIRS 

will  have  all  men  to  be  saved  and  come  unto  the  knowledge  of 
the  truth.  The  belief  of  this  has  been  a  source  of  peace  and 
joy  since  I  first  received  the  truth ;  and  since  I  have  been  sick, 
it  has  been  an  anchor  to  my  soul,  sure  and  steadfast.  It  has 
enabled  me  to  rejoice  under  the  severest  sufferings  I  have  ex- 
perienced, and  to  look  forward,  not  simply  with  composure,  but 
with  rapture,  to  the  hour  of  my  deliverance.  And  now  it  seems 
as  though  my  last  request  had  been  granted.  I  have  seen  you? 
and  been  able  to  bear  witness  in  your  presence  to  the  truth  o^ 
tlie  doctrine  you  preach,  and  testify  to  its  power  to  save.  The 
Lord  has  given  success  to  his  word  through  your  ministry,  and 
may  he  still  continue  to  bless  you  and  prosper  your  labors." 
The  substance  of  all  this,  and  much  more,  she  said,  with  a  fer- 
vency of  soul  overflowing  with  love  to  God  and  man  ;  for  al- 
though but  a  shadow  of  physical  life  remained,  she  was  alive  in 
the  spirit,  and  was  able  to  talk,  and  did  talk  much  more  than  I 
had  an  opportunity  to  do,  so  that  she  strengthened  me  much  more 
than  I  did  her.  The  Lord  of  life  and  glory  had  given  her  the 
strength  of  a  Sampson,  and  she  needed  not  the  help  of  man. 
She  said,  she  had  experienced  a  momentary  trial  on  account  of 
leaving  her  children,  but  she  had  completely  surmounted  that 
trial ;  and  she  now  felt  not  a  single  pang  on  that  account — she 
should  leave  them  in  the  hands  of  a  heavenly  Father  whose  love 
was  infinitely  stronger  than  hers,  and  whose  wisdom  and  power 
would  enable  him  to  do  all  his  love  dictated.  She  had  now  no 
regrets,  no  fears,  no  anxiety,  except  on  account  of  her  impatience 
to  be  gone.  She  sometimes  feared  she  was  committing  sin  on 
that  account.  She  said,  "  I  asked  my  mother  the  other  day,  if 
she  thought  it  was  wicked  to  long  to  die." 

I  remained  with  her  several  hours,  and  heard  her  talk  much 
more  than  I  talked  myself.  At  her  request  I  prayed  with  her, 
or  rather  poured  out  my  soul  in  grateful  praise  to  Almighty  God, 
for  the  faith,  the  hope,  the  joy,  the  light,  and  the  life  he  had  be- 
stowed  upon  her.  Before  we  separated,  she  requested  me  to 
visit  her  again,  if  she  remained  many  days  in  the  flesh,  and  as 
often  as  I  could  make  it  convenient ;  and  to  attend  and  preach 
at  her  funeral.  I  did  make  her  one  more  visit,  and  found  her 
faith,  her  hope,  and  her  confidence  unimpaired ;  and  they  held 
out  to  the  utmost  limits  of  her  earthly  pilgrimage.  But,  to  her, 
the  joyful  day  of  deliverance  at  length  came  ;  and  on  the  24th 
day  of  March,  in  compliance  with  her  request,  I  attended  her 
funeral.  Thus,  did  it  please  God,  from  time  to  time,  to  encour- 
age and  strengthen  me  in  my  arduous  labors,  giving  me  the  as- 
surance, that  although  feeble,  yet  they  were  not  wholly  in  vain. 


CHAPTER  X. 


Association  in  1810— Prosperity  of  the  cause— Mr.  Dean's  success ;  his  charac- 
ter— Quarterlyconference— PeModical,the  "ReHgious  Inquirer" — Mr.  Fuller^ 
Methodist  preacher— Ill-health  of  my  family — First  visit  to  our  native  land 
— Desultory  discussion  with  a  preacher,  at  the  close  of  a  lecture  in  Augusta — 
Association  in  1811 — Female  preacher,  Mdria  Cook  ;  anecdotes  of  her — Dr. 
Lewis  Beers,  his  connection  with  Universalists,  and  subsequent  course — First 
meeting  in  Cazenovia — Interview  with  Deacon  M. — Long  confab  with  sher- 
iff Whipple — Dr.  Ballard — First  tour  to  the  Genesee  country — Interview 
■with  Elder  James  Parker — Meetings  in  Benton  and  Goreham — Preachers  at 
the  general  meeting  in  Goreham — Elder  Parker's  conversion — State  of  the 
cause  in  that  county — English  settlement  in  Pittsford,  their  faith  and  manners 
— second  tour  through  the  Genesee  country — Visit  to  Dr.  Beers. 

Our  Association  met  in  June  1810,  in  the  town  of  Madison  ; 
and"  again  Mr.  Dean  and  Mr.  Carrique  attended  as  delegation 
from  the  General  Convention  of  New-England.  The  Presby- 
terian meeting-house  where  Elder  Morton  and  I  had  our  preach- 
ing race,  as  it  was  facetiously  called,  a  few  years  before,  was 
opened  for  our  accommodation,  and  a  numerous  congregation 
filled  it.  If  no  newly-organized  societies  were  here  represent- 
ed, still  an  additional  number  of  visiting  brethren,  from. places 
where  congregations  had  been  collected,  were  in  attendance  ; 
and  loud  and  earnest  calls,  from  various  places  where  they 
had  and  where  they  had  not  had  the  privilege  of  hearing,  were 
heard,  and  reiterated,  for  the  preached  word  ;  and,  thanks  to 
the  great  Shepherd,  we  were  becoming  much  better  prepared  to 
answer  to  such  calls.  Mr.  Ferris  was  becoming  much  more 
zealously  engaged.  He  was  bred  a  Quaker,  and  still  retained 
a  strong  predilection  for  many  of  their  peculiarities ;  he  went 
much  by  the  movings  of  the  spirit ;  and  the  spirit  of  preaching 
had  now  been  given  him,  and  he  was  laboring  with  renewed 
zeal,  very  extensively.  Mr.  Winslow  was  also  itinerating 
through  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  country  ;  and  Mr.  Bab- 
bit was  supplying  the  calls  in  Hartwick,  Otsego,  and  vicinity ; 


214  MEMOIRS   OF  THE 

and  about  this  time  removed  his  family  into  the  town  of  Hart- 
wick.  Mr.  Baker,  too,  having  received  the  usual  testimonials 
of  fellowship,  entered  as  extensively  into  the  field  of  labor  as 
his  talents  would  enable  him.  But  Mr.  Dean,  on  his  removal 
into  this  region,  which  took  place  not  long  after  this,  was  alto- 
gether the  brightest  star  of  this  constellation.  His  removal  in- 
to this  section  of  the  Redeemer's  heritage  was  hailed  as  the 
commencement  of  a  more  prosperous  era ;  and  indeed  so  it 
proved.  He  was  a  young  man  of  prepossessing  appearance,  of 
brilliant  speaking  talents,  and  of  indefatigable  zeal  and  perse- 
verance. He  flew,  as  upon  the  wings  of  the  wind,  from  place 
to  place,  proclaiming  the  word  with,  the  boldness  of  a  veteran ; 
challenged  discussion,  and  even  controversy,  with  clergymen 
of  the  Partialist  sects,  without  distinction  of  denomination ;  met 
the  opposer  in  open  field,  aiid  conquered  under  the  banner  of  the 
cross.  Whatever  Mr.  Dean's  course  may  have  been  since  he 
left  this  State,  he  was,  while  here,  certainly  the  most  successful 
preacher  we  had  ever  had  among  us  ;  and  I  very  much  ques- 
tion whether  New  York  has  ever  had  a  more  successful  dis- 
penser of  the  vv^ord,  even  up  to  the  present  time.  I  regretted 
extremely,  his  leaving  the  State ;  and  I  have  great  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  it  would  have  been  far  better  for  him,  and  better  for 
the  cause  of  Universalism  if  he  had  never  removed  to  Boston. 
But  Mr.  Dean  was  an  ambitious  young  man ;  he  wanted  very 
much  to  excel,  and  aspired  to  notoriety.  While  riding  together, 
one  day — for  he  and  I  were  often  together,  and  traveled  much 
together  during  his  residence  in  this  State — ^lie  said  to  me, 
"  Brother  Stacy,  how  old  are  you  ?"  I  answered,  "I  am  thirty." 
"  Well,"  said  he,  "  by  the  time  I  am  thirty  years  old,  I  mean  to 
be  able  to  preach  as  well  as  brother  Ballou  ;  I  can  spin  us  fine 
a  thread  7iow  as  he  can,  if  it  is  not  quite  so  strong."  "  That  is 
right,  brother  Dean,  1  replied  ;  trim  your  gallant  ship,  spread 
your  sails,  and  launch  out  into  the  mighty  deep  ;  but  permit  me 
to  fish  around  near  the  shore  with  my  little  boat — I  may  catch 
some  small  fish  ;  I  dare  not  venture  out  far  into  the  great  ocean." 
In  the  course  of  this  summer,  in  addition  to  my  former  trav- 
els, 1  visited  and  preached,  more  or  less,  in  the  towns  of  Manlius, 
Marcellus,  and  Richfield.  And  for  mutual  improvement  among 
ourselves  (the  preachers,)  as  well  as  for  the  extension  of  the 
preached  word,  we  this  year  commenced  holding  what  we  de- 
nominated a  quarterly  conference,  in  addition  to  our  annual  as- 
sociation, so  as  to  assemble  together  at  least  once  in  three 
months.     We  met  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  generally 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  215 

where  they  were  the  least  accommodated  with  stated  preaching, 
held  meetings  for  public  worship  two  days,  and  improved  the 
intervening  seasons  in  social  conference.  These  meetings 
proved  essentially  advantageous  both  to  preachers  and  toothers. 
Our  public  exercises  called  together,  generally,  a  large  congre- 
gation ;  and  as  they  were  held  on  week-days,  many  who 
would  think  it  a  desecration  of  the  Sabbath,  to  attend  a  Univer- 
sal meeting  on  that  day,  would  venture  to  attend  these  confer- 
ences ;  and,  in  our  social  interviews,  important  doctrinal  sub- 
jects  were  discussed,  and  a  free  exchange  of  ideas  and  opin- 
ions  indulged,  which  tended  very  much  to  enlarge  and  amplify 
our  ov/n  thoughts  and  views,  and  more  thoroughly  equip  us  for 
the* contest  in  which  we  were  engaged. 

These  conferences  bebame  very  popular,  and  large  numbers 
flocked  to  them — (when  I  speak  of  large  numbers  and  great 
consrreo-ations.  let  the  I'eader  bear  in  mind  the  time  of  which  I 
write  ;  he  will  then  duly  appreciate  my  language  ;  for,  in  com- 
parison with  the  present  age,  these  congregations  would  hardly 
l3ear  the  qualification  of  large,) — and  not  unfrequently  we 
could  prevail  on  some  of  the  most  liberal  and  charitable  of  other 
sects  to  use  freedom  in  our  conferences,  and  unite  with  us  in 
our  devotional  exercises :  and  this  had  a  great  tendency  to  in- 
crease their  usefulness,  by  enabling  us  to  make  some  little  im- 
pression upon  the  almost  invulnerable  wall  that  separated  us. 

Commensurate  with  the  advancement  of  the  cause,  was  the  in- 
crease of  our  zeal.  Although  our  conferences  were  doing  much, 
we  were  hardly  satisfied,  we  wanted  them  to  do  much  more  ; 
and  I  accordingly  proposed  to  attempt  the  publication  of  a  period- 
ical, to  be  issued  at  the  time  of  our  conference  meeting  ;  some- 
thing containing  the  minutes  of  our  doings,  and  illustrating  and 
defending  the  great  doctrine  we  were  trying  to  publish  to  the 
world,  which  would,  in  all  probability,  find  its  way,  and  carry 
light  and  instruction  where  the  voice  of  the  preacher  could  not 
be  heard.  We  were  in  the  habit  of  publishing  yearly  the  do- 
ings of  our  association,  accompanying  the  same  with  a  circular 
letter,  and  we  thought  much  good  resulted  therefrom  ;  and  I 
concluded  that  something  of  a  similar  kind,  and  perhaps  on  a 
little  larger  scale,  might  be  profitably  done  at  our  conferences. 
The  subject  was  deliberately  weighed  ;  and  although  of  doubt- 
ful impractability  in  our  infant  state,  we  resolved  to  make  the 
effort.  A  superintending  and  editorial  committee  was  appointed, 
pledges  given  to  try  to  furnish  our  proportions  of  matter  for  its 
columns,  and  a  prospectus  issued  for  a  periodical  in  pamphlet 


2fI6  MEMOIRS   OF    THE 

form,  containing  at  least,  sixteen  pages  octavo,  entitled  the  "Re- 
ligious Inquirer  ;"  to  be  published  once  in  three  months,  imme- 
dietely  subsequent  to  the  meeting  of  our  quarterly  conference. 
Arrangements  were  accordingly  made  with  a  printer  in  Coop- 
erstown,  Mr.  Prentis,  and  the  first  number  published.  We  de- 
pended much  on  Mr.  Dean's  assistance  to  furnish  matter  for 
the  work  ;  but  from  some  reason,  Mr.  Dean  seemed  much  more 
inclined  to  talk  than  to  write — we  got  not  a  scrap  from  his  pen. 
Mr.  Ferris  and  myself  were  obliged  to  furnish  all  the  matter. 
Our  enterprise,  however,  was  so  peculiarly  unfortunate,  we 
were  compelled  to  relinquish  it.  We  had  received  sufficient 
encouragement  by  promises,  and  no  one  complained  that  the 
■work  did  not  redeem  the  pledge  we  had  given  in  the  prospectus  ; 
but,  alas !  the  purses  of  our  friends  were  not  as  open  as  their 
mouths.  We  had  involved  ourselves  in  a  debt  of  forty  or  fifty 
dollars,  which  we  had  to  cancel  fi'om  our  own  private  purses, 
light  as  they  were,  with  the  help  of  one  or  two  of  our  most  lib- 
eral  lay-brethren  ;  and  we  dared  not  attempt  to  issue  a  second 
number. 

At  one  of  our  conferences  held  in  the  town  of  Butternuts,  af- 
ter Mr.  Winslow  had  removed  his  family  into  that  town,  a  Meth- 
odist preacher  by  the  name  of  Fuller  called  at  Mr.  Winslow's, 
where  we  held  meetings  every  Tuesday  evening,  and  we  were 
formally  introduced  to  him.  I  may  here  remark,  that  Mrs. 
Winslow  never  embraced  the  doctrine  of  Universalism,  but  re- 
tained her  standing  in  the  Methodist  church  ;  therefore,  Mr. 
W.'s  house  was  still  a  resort  for  Methodist  circuit  preachers. 
I  took  the  liberty  to  inform  Mr.  Fuller  of  the  object  of  our 
meeting,  and  remarked,  that  it  was  a  free  conference  for  chris- 
tians of  every  denomination  ;  we  were  always  happy  to  have 
them  attend,  and  use  their  liberty  for  improvement  in  exhorta- 
tion, prayer,  or  m  any  way  tlieir  religious  feelings  should  in- 
cline  them — we  indulged  not  the  presumption  to  say  that  we 
knew  that  we  were  right,  and  every  one  who  differed  from  us 
was  wrong — as  our  opinions  were  matter  of  faith,  not  absolute 
knowledge  ;  we  felt  under  obligation  to  hold  ourselves  open  to 
the  conviction  of  truth.  And  as  we  were  satisfied  truth  could 
never  suffer  by  investigation,  we  felt  free  to  invite  investigation 
on  the  all-important  subject ;  and  we  should  therefore  be  happy 
to  have  him  remain  with  us,  during  our  meeting  ;  if  consistent 
with  his  engagements.  He  replied  that  he  was  on  a  circuit,, 
and  had  appointments  before  him  for  every  day,  and  consequents 
ly  could  not  turn  aside  from  his  engagements — and  he  Lad  an 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACF.  217 

appointment  for  a  meeting  that  evening  in  the  neighborhood. 
The  excuse  was  reasonable  ;  and  to  show  our  liberality,  and 
gratify  a  real  desire  in  my  own  mind,  at  least,  I  proposed  sus- 
pending our  conference  for  this  evening,  and  attending  Mr.  F.'s 
meeting  ;  and  the  proposition  was  readily  agreed  to.  All  this 
was  said  and  done  in  Mr.  F.'s  presence  ;  but  he  wished  to  get 
to  the  place  where  he  should  stop  for  the  night,  and  im- 
mediately went  on.  At  early  candle-light  we  repaired  to  the 
place.  Our  company  consisted  of  Mr.  Winslow,  Mr.  Ferris 
and  myself,  and  two  young  men  who  were  very  active  in  our 
conferences,  but  not  preachers.  The  place  of  worship  was  a 
private  dwelling-house  ;  an  old-fashioned  one-story  farm-house, 
consisting  of  a  large  kitchen,  two  front  rooms,  &c.  The  meet- 
ing was  held  in  the  kitchen,  it  being  the  largest  and  most  con- 
venient room  ;  and  we  were  the  first  who  arrived.  As  we  en- 
tered, Mr.  F.  was  sitting  alone  in  the  room,  by  a  stand  suitably 
placed  in  the  farther  end  of  the  same,  with  his  Bible  in  his  hand  ; 
he  looked  at  us,  but  did  not  speak,  and  instantly  arose,  entered 
one  of  the  square  rooms  and  shut  the  door.  We  took  convenient 
seats,  and  awaited  the  arrival  of  the  congregation  ;  and  soon  the 
•  room  was  decently  filled.  At  length  Mr.  .F.  made  his  appear- 
ance, took  his  stand,  read  a  hymn,  and  commenced  what  I  sup- 
posed he  would  have  called  singing  ;  but  it  was  well  there  were 
not  many  small  children  there  to  be  frightened.  He  then 
kneeled  in  the  attitude  of  prayer  ;  but  such  volleys  of  low  scur- 
rility and  abuse  I  never  before  heard  poured  forth  from  the 
tliroat  of  a  depraved  mortal !  Besides,  he  was  the  most  illiterate 
and  ignorant  block-head,  I  ever  heard  attempt  to  address  a  con- 
gi'egation.  His  sole  object  seemed  to  be,  to  point  us  out,  and 
heap  execrations  on  our  heads ;  and  if  he  had  used  language 
tliat  was  decent,  we  could  have  borne  it  with  some  patience. 
After  laboring  for  a  long  time  to  get  at  us,  he  at  length  exclaim- 
ed, "  Oh  Lord !  we  pray  that  thou  wouldst  nim-rap,  center- 
shake,  and  annihilate  the  kingdom  of  the  devil  this  evening." 
But  this  did  not  satisfy  him  ;  it  did  not  hit  us  directly  enough  ; 
he  therefore  took  another  splendid  circumlocution,  and  came  at 
us  with  a  voice  raised  to  its  highest  possible  pitch  ;  "  Oh  Lord  ! 
we  pray  that  thou  wouldst  deliver  us  from  atheism,  from 
deism,  from  Universalism,  and  every  other  hell-hatched  ism 
that  prevails  in  the  land."  He  had  said  what  he  wished  then, 
and  seemed  quite  satisfied.  He  immediately  arose  from  his 
knees,  sung  again,  after  his  fashion,  and  then  named  for  a  text, — 
"If  it  were  possible,  they  shall  deceive  the  very 'elect."     His 


218  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

first  object  seemed  to  be  to  blackguard  Calvinism,  but  the  poor 
fellow  knew  no  more  about  Calvinism  than  he  did  about  the  man 
in  the  moon.  He  stamped,  raved,  and  foamed  a  long  time  about 
""lection,"  but  finally  contented  himself  by  sayinor,  "but  I  don't 
believe  that ;  but  I'll  tell  you  what  I  believe  about  'lection." 
But  instead  of  that,  however,  he  raised  his  voice  and  said, 
'•'  But  some  folks  pretend  to  believe  that  everybody's  'lected. 
What !  all  going  to  heaven !  liars,  swearers,  drunkards,  thieves, 
robbers,  whore-mongers,  and  all  sich  characters  ! — well,  if  ev- 
erybody's going  to  heaven,  I  don't  want  to  go  there.  But  some 
folks  may  ax  aint  you  to  hard  with  the  Universalists  ?  But  I 
don't  believe  I  am  ;  if  all  are  'lected,  if  all  are  going  to  heaven, 
it  makes  no  difference  wdiat  I  do  ;  I  shall  be  well  enough  on  it  at 
last.  But  some  may  ax,  isn't  there  some  good  folks  among  Uni- 
versalists ?  I  don't  know ;  I've  heard  people  tell  about  white 
crows,  but  I  never  see  one."  There,  reader,  was  not  that  worth 
spending  an  evening  to  hear  ?  Did  we  not  get  well  rewarded 
for  suspending  our  conference,  by  going  to  hear  that  rich  exhibi- 
tion of  original  eloquence  ?  I  have  given  you  the  pith  and  mar- 
row of  his  whole  discourse  ;  and  the  poor  fellow  was  so  fearful 
we  should  make  an  attack'  upon  him — poor  soul  !  we  could  have 
found  nothing  to  attack,  had  v\^e  diligently  sought  for  it ;  there 
was  nothing  of  him,  in  him,  nor  about  him,  that  we  could  have 
distinguished  from  the  mass  of  rubbish  beneath  our  feet — but  he 
was  so  fearful  we  should  attack  him,  that  there  was  no  pause,  not 
even  that  of  a  comma,  between  "  Amen,"  and  "  Sister,  what 
room  shall  we  hold  class-meeting  in."  The  lady  of  the  house 
pomted  to  the  door,  into  which  he  darted,  calling  JMethodists  to  fol- 
low him,  and  forbidding  others  to  intrude  upon  their  class-meet- 
ing. We  therefore  arose  and  left  the  house,  and  went  back  to 
Mr.  Winslow's,  ashamed  enough  of  our  adventure. 

Our  family  now  consisted  of  two  children,  a  son  and  daugh- 
ter; the  young^t,  born  September,  1809,  was  a  very  feeble 
child  ;  and  my  wife,  from  the  time  of  its  birth,  had  experienced 
a  very  poor  state  of  health,  and  seemed  gradually  sinking. 
We  had  employed  the  most  skilful  physicians  our  place  afford- 
ed, but  nothing  seemed  to  reach  her  case,  or  give  any  hopes  of 
raising  her  again  to  health.  I  became  fully  satisfied  that  the 
seat  of  her  difficulty  was  a  derangement  of  the  nervous  sys- 
tem, and  that  traveling,  if  she  could  endure  it,  was  the  only 
effectual  remedy.  We  had  not,  since  we  commenced  house- 
keeping, visited  our  native  land.  My  parents  were  both  liv- 
ing, and  she  had  a  father,  brothers,  and  a  sister  there,     I  pro- 


LIFE    OF   REV.   NATHANIEL   STACY.  219 

posed  to  her,  a  visit  to  that  place  ;  and  although  the  thought 
seemed  to  interest  her,  I  could  hardly  persuade  her  that  she 
could  endure  fatigue.  Her  mind  was  gloomy  and  despondent, 
her  spirit  and  ambition  gone,  and  she  could  scarcely  sit  up  an 
hour  at  a  time  during  the  whole  day.  I,  however,  made  all 
necessary  arrangements,  procured  as  comfortable  a  carriage  as 
our  times  afforded,  and,  contrary  to  the  advice  of  my  neigh- 
bors, who  told  me  I  was  presumptuous,  that  I  would  never 
return  with  my  wife  alive  ;  and,  with  great  reluctance  on  her 
part  to  hazard  the  attempt,  and  a  sick  child,  eleven  months 
old,  that  required  a  constant  nurse,  and  a  little  boy  four  years 
old,  about  the  middle  of  August  I  started  on  a  journey  of  two 
hundred  miles,  without  any  Itelp  to  take  care  of  my  team,  or 
the  sick.  Our  first  stage  was  four  miles  ;  and  by  the  time  she 
had  accomplished  it,  my  wife  thought  she  was  nearly  gone  ; 
she  had  no  idea  of  ever  being  able  to  be  removed  from  that 
place.  However,  we  carried  her  into  the  house  and  laid  her 
on  a  bed ;  and  after  resting  about  two  hours,  she  was  able  to 
take  some  refreshment,  and  proceed  four  miles  farther,  which 
completed  our  first  day's  journey.  The  next  morning,  contra- 
ry to  the  predictions  of  my  friends,  she  felt  stronger  and  better 
than  when  she  left  home  ;  and  in  due  season  we  were  on  our 
way  again,  and  traveled  sixteen  miles  that  day.  This  was,  in- 
deed, too  hard  a  day's  journey  for  her,  and  she  appeared  to 
have  but  just  the  breath  of  life  in  her,  when  we  reached  the 
place  of  our  destination.  I  had  imprudently  sent  on  an  ap- 
pointment for  a  lecture  at  that  place,  and  I  never  allowed  my- 
self to  make  a  disappointment,  when  it  was  possible  to  avoid  it. 
But  a  gracious  Providence  favored  my  enterprise  ;  the  next 
morning  she  felt  much  recruited,  and  was  able  to  proceed  on 
her  way  with  renewed  courage.  She  had  lived  tln-ough  these 
severe  exertions,  and  began  to  be  cheered  with  the  hope  of  be- 
ing able  to  accomplish  her  journey.  Thus  far  a  friend  had 
accompanied  us  ;  but  now  he  returned  back,  and  I  had,  from 
henceforth,  to  take  the  whole  charge  of  the  establishment,  sick 
family  and  all.  We  traveled  ten  miles  the  next  day,  which 
brought  us  among  our  friends  in  the  town  of  Otsego,  where  we 
remained  four  or  five  days.  We  were  here  detained  longer 
than  we  intended  to  stay,  in  consequence  of  a  renewed  attack 
on  our  feeble  child,  which  we  feared  for  a  time  would  prove 
fatal.  But  it  gave  my  wife  time  to  rest  from  the  fatigues  of  her 
journey  thus  far  ;  and  a  kind  Providence  blessed  the  means 
used  for  the  recovery  of  the  child ;  we  were  enabled  again  to 


220  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

resume  our  journey  with  improved  health,  and  renewed  cour- 
age. My  wife  now  appeared  heaUhier  and  stronger  than  she 
had  for  months  before,  and  from  this  time  was  able  to  ride  as 
far  in  a  day  as  I  wished  to  drive  my  team.  We  were  absent 
from  home  eight  weeks  ;  visited  Ballston  Springs  on  our  route 
down,  and  also  on  our  return ;  and  the  journey,  with  other 
means  used,  produced  all  the  happy  consequences  I  so  ardently 
prayed  for,  and  anticipated.  My  wife  returned  home  cheer- 
ful and  happy,  with  almost  a  new  constitution  ;  and  the  health 
of  our  child  greatly  improved.  Our  visit  proved  a  very  grati- 
fying circumstance  on  another  account.  We  found  all  the 
relatives  we  left,  when  we  removed  from  that  place,  alive  and 
well,  and  among  them  my  wife's  venerable  father ;  but  he 
lived  but  a  little  more  than  a  year  after  that.  The  last  we  saw 
of  him,  he  sat  upon  a  large  rock  just  before  his  door,  with  the 
bis  tears  rollino;  down  his  ased  cheeks,  watchincr  the  recedino- 
movement  of  our  carriage.  It  was  a  consoling  reflection  to 
us,  after  his  departure,  that  we  were  permitted  to  visit  him 
once,  before  he  was  gathered  to  his  fathers. 

On  the  5th  of  January,  1811,  I  delivered  an  evening  lecture 
in  the  town  of  Augusta,  in  a  private  dwelling-house.  At  the 
close  of  the  discourse  a  man  arose,  who,  I  afterwards  was  in- 
formed, was  a  preacher,  and  commenced  haranguing  the  peo- 
ple, and  inveighing  most  bitterly  against  the  doctrine  I  had  ad- 
vanced. His  back  was  turned  toward  me,  and  beseemed  de- 
signedly to  overlook  and  treat  me  with  neglect.  I  let  him  go 
on  for  a  few  moments,  and  then  broke  in  upon  his  harangue, 
and  remarked,  "Sir,  I  am  the  person  who  has  advanced  the  doc- 
trine you  so  bitterly  condemn  ;  will  you  have  the  goodness  to 
address  me,  and  grant  me  the  privilege  of  replying  ?"  He  then 
turned  and  addressed  me,  nearly  as  follows  :  "  The  law  of 
God  is  out  against  the  transgressor,  and  condemns  him  to  ever- 
lasting punishment,  if  he  does  not  repent.  But  your  doctrine 
has  a  tendency  to  silence  the  conscience  of  the  sinner,  by  ta- 
king away  the  penalty  of  the  divine  law,*  and  therefore  en- 
courages him  to  go  on  in  sin,  with  impunity,"  "  Sir,  1  replied, 
will  you  inform  me  what  the  divine  law  demands  of  the  sinner? 
What  is  the  essential  requisition  of  the  law  of  God,  upon  all 
immortal  beings  V  He  hesitated — "  I  will  vary  the  question 
then,  so  that  you  can  not  help  but  understand  me  ;  does  not 
the  law  demand  of  all  moral  beings,  '  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord 
thy  God,  with  all  thy  heart,  and  thy  neighbor  as  thyself?'  " 
"Yes,"  he  replied.     "Well,  sir,  can  any  thing  but  this  love  to 


LIFE    OF    EEV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  221 

God  and  love  to  man  satisfy  the  demands  of  the  Divine  law  ? 
Can  punishment  do  it  ?"  The  man  evidently  saw  himself  in 
difficulty  ;  but  he  seemed  determined  to  show  out  his  pugna- 
city as  bravely  as  Goldsmith's  country  school-master — 

"  E'en  thot;gh  vanquish'd,  he  could  argue  still," 
And  drawled  out  "  Yes — I  will  make  a  similitude.  Our  laws 
impose  a  penalty  for  the  commission  of  crimes — for  offences  of  a 
certain  magnitude,  imprisonment  in  the  penitentiary  for  a  term 
of  years.  Now  when  an  individual  is  convicted  of  such  a  crime, 
and  has  received  his  sentence,  and  is  shut  up  in  the  state-prison, 
the  law  is  satisfied."  '•!  must  beg  your  pardon,  sir,  for  a  different 
opinion  ;  I  supposed  the  law  never  confined  a  man  that  it  was 
satisfied  with ;  I  always  supposed  that  the  very  imprisonment 
of  the  man  showed  the  dissatisfaction  of  the  law  ;  that  the  mo- 
ment the  lav/  was  fully  satisfied,  the  man  would  be  liberated." 
He  had  discernment  enough  to  see  the  inconsistency  of  his 
similitude,  and  said,  "I  will  alter  it — the  law  requires  the  death 
of  the  murderer  ;  now  when  a  man  is  found  guilty  of  murder, 
and,  in  accordance  with  his  sentence,  is  hung  by  the  neck  un- 
til he  is  dead,  the  law  is  satisfied."  "  I  grant  it  ;  but  permit 
me  to  vary  the  similitude.  Suppose  the  murderer  should  be 
hung  up  between  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  and  be  always 
undergoing  the  pangs  of  death,  but  never  die  ;  would  the  law 
ever  be  satisfied  ?"  "  Why,  no."  The  congregation  saw  he 
had  entrapped  himself;  and  many  of  them  broke  out  into  a  loud 
laugh,  which  I  had  to  reprove  ;  and  the  man  was  struck  dumb. 
I  then  addressed  him.  and  said,  "  Now,  sir,  you  see  a  truth  which 
you  probably  never  before  discovered,  and  that  is,  that  the  law 
of  God,  so  far  from  demanding  the  endless  punishment  of  the 
sinner,  demands  his  obedience,  and  consequently  his  salvation, 
and  will  not  be  satisfied  without  it ;  and  the  punishment  which 
the  law  inflicts  on  the  disobedient,  is  evidence  that  the  law  is 
dissatisfied  with  the  disobedient,  and  can  only  be  satisfied  when 
he  is  obedient,  and  punishment  ceases  ;  therefore,  to  argue  end- 
less punishment,  is  arguing  the  endless  dissatisfaction  of  the 
law  of  God!"  Controversies  of  this  sfert,  in  which  our  early 
preachers  were  almost  constantly  engaged,  and  which  were  the 
only  kind  I  ever  did  engage  in,  uniformly  proved  essentially  ad- 
vantageous to  the  cause  of  truth;  for  they  were  generally  con- 
ducted in  the  presence  of  many  inquiring  minds. 

The  uniform  practice  was  to  adjourn  the  Association,  from 
year  to  year,  to  such  place  as  petitioned  for  its  session,  without 
regard  to  central  location,  and  disregarding  our  own  convenience 


222  MEMOIRS    OP    THE 

for  the  benefit  of  the  cause  ;•  and  we  were  generally  compelled 
to  make  selections  from  the  numerous  requests  presented.  Our 
friends  were  soon  made  sensible  of  the  salutary  effects  of  those 
meetings  in  the  region  where  they  were  held,  and  manifested  a 
becoming  zeal  for  the  session  ;  and  were  always  ready  to  make 
ample  provision,  not  only  for  members  of  the  council,  but  also 
for  all  visitors  during  its  continuance.  Previous  arrangements, 
therefore,  were  made  by  the  society  with  whom  we  met — a  com- 
mittee was  appointed  expressly  to  wait  on  visiting  brethren,  and 
see  that  they  were  hospitably  entertained — for  many  came  from 
a  great  distance.  Such  Avas  the  excitement  on  these  occasions, 
that  it  was  not  uncommon  to  see  carriage-loa»ls,  individuals  on 
horse-back,  and  even  walking,  from  a  distance  of  fifty,  sixty,  and 
sometimes  a  hundred  miles.  Universalists  were  scattered  pro- 
miscuously through  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land  ;  and  there 
were  but  few  in  those  days,  in  comparison  with  the  great  mass 
of  Partialists,  attached  respectively  to  all  the  other  sects. 
The  reader  may  in  some  degree  appreciate  their  feelings,  though 
he  can  not  fully,  if  he  would,  imagine  himself  in  their  position, 
located  in  a  neighborhood  where  no  one  sympathizes  with  him, 
in  his  religious  devotions ;  where,  if  he  speak  on  the  subject  of 
his  doctrine,  he  is  sure  to  meet  with  nothing  but  frowns  and  ex- 
ecrations ;  where,  if  he  attend  church,  he  is  a  target  for  the  most 
pointed,  venomous  shafts  of  the  speaker's  holy  indignation ;  and 
where  he  probably  has  never  had  an  opportunity  to  hear  a  sin- 
gle sermon  that  he  considers  even  salted  with  Gospel  truth  ;  and 
then  let  him  suppose  that  he  hears  of  a  meeting  of  preachers  of 
that  doctrine  which  he  verily  believes  to  be  the  Gospel  of  Christ, 
where  a  number  are  to  assemble,  and  hold  forth  for  two  success- 
ive days  ;  and  he  will  have  some  faint  conceptions  of  the  feelings 
of  those  who  attended  our  Associations — 'he  may  form  some  idea 
of  the  alacrity  with  which  they  made  preparations  for  the  jour- 
ney— 'of  the  cheerfulness  with  which  they  sacrificed  both  time 
and  money — and  of  the  indescribable  joy  of  heart  with  which 
they  met  and  greeted  each  other.  He  may  look  around  on  such 
a  congregation,  and  see  %\e  unmistakable  evidences  of  the  most 
perfect  gratification — 'of  joy  in  heart  and  peace  of  soul — delinea- 
ted upon  every  countenance,  in  the  complaisant  smile,  the  glow- 
ing  cheek,  and  the  moistened  eye,  that  meet  him  from  every  quar- 
ter. O,  the  blessedness  of  such  a  convocation  !  My  old  heart 
warms  under  this  faint  retrospective  glance,  and  I  almost  wish 
to  live  life  over  again  to  renew  the  enjoyment  of  such  blessed 
seasons.     But,  for  some  cause,  under  certain  circumstances,  I 


LIFS    OF   REV.    NATHANIEL   STACT.  22'S 

have  very  excitable  materials  in  my  moral  composition,  and  1 
suppose  every  body  did  not  feel  as  I  did. 

The  sixth  session  of  our  Association,  (1811,)  was  holden  in 
Bainbridge,  Chenango  county,  As  no  meeting-house  could  be 
obtained,  our  friends  fitted  up  a  newly-built  barn  in  as  conveni- 
ent a  manner  as  possible,  for  the  occasion.  Such  meeting-houses 
as  that,  we  often  had  to  occupy ;  and  we  felt  ourselves  highly 
accommodated  when  we  obtained  a  clean  one  ;  nor  did  we  think 
it  a  disgrace  for  Christians  to  worship  God  in  a  barn,  inasmuch 
as  a  stable  was  the  birth-place  of  the  Captain  of  our  salvation. 
Mr.  Dean  then  resided  v/ithin  the  territorial  limits  of  the  Asso- 
ciation, and  was  consequently  with  us ;  and  five  others,  hereto- 
fore named,  who  were  members  of  this  ecclesiastical  body,  were 
present,  and  a  single  individual,  Nathaniel  Smith,  bearing  cre- 
dentials of  appointment  from  the  General  Convention,  with  two 
other  preachers  of  the  Great  Salvation,  who  had  never  before 
appeared  among  us ;  and  singular  as  the  circumstance  may  ap- 
pear, one  was  a  female. 

Maria  Cook,  then  about  thirty  years  of  age,  was  escorted  to 
that  place  by  two  gentlemen  of  the  first  respectability,  from  the 
town  of  Sheshequin,  Bradford  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  she 
had  been  visiting  for  several  weeks,  and  holding  meetings. 
They  introduced  her  to  the  council  as  a  person  of  irreproachable 
morals,  and  with  high  encomiums  upon  her  public  labors.  Some 
of  our  brethren  and  friends  were  a  little  fastidious  about  allow- 
ing a  woman  to  preach,  supposing  St.  Paul  forbade  it,  where  he 
says,  lie  suffered  not  a  looman  to  teach.,  nor  to  usurp  authority,  &c., 
while  others  thought  differently,  believing  he  would  not  have 
applauded  the  labors  of  so  many  female  helpers  in  the  Lord,  if 
he  did  not,  under  suitable  circumstances,  approve  of  their  pub- 
lic ministration.  But  as  the  phenomenon  of  a  female  preacher 
appearing  among  us  was  so'  extraordinary,  and  curiosity  was  on 
tiptoe  among  the  mass  of  the  congregation,  to  hear  a  woman 
preach,  our  opposing  brethren  finally  withdrew  their  objections, 
and  she  very  cheerfully  obliged  us  with  a  discourse.  And  there 
was  not  a  sermon  delivered  with  more  eloquence,  with  more  cor- 
rectness of  diction,  or  pathos,  or  one  listened  to  with  more  devout 
attention ;  nor  v/as  there  another  delivered  during  the  session  &x) 
highly  applauded  by  the  whole  congregation,  as  the  one  she  de- 
livered. And  so  excited  and  animated  were  many  of  the  breth- 
ren by  the  novelty,  and  so  highly  pleased  and  edified  with  her 
public  discourse,  that  a  letter  of  fellowship  for  her,  as  a  preacher 
of  the  Gospel,  was  almost  peremptorily  demanded.     She,  herself, 


224  MEMOIRS   OF    THE 

appeared  quite  indifferent  about  it.  But  as  she  came  well  re- 
commended, both  as  to  her  religious  and  moral  character,  and 
as  she  certainly  exhibited  sound  faith  and  a  becoming'  zeal  for 
the  promotion  of  tl:ie  cause,  was  well  educated  and  possessed 
more  than  ordinary  speaking  talents,  an  informal  letter  was  pre- 
sented to  her,  which  she  modestly  accepted.  This  letter  of  fel- 
lowship, however,  she  destroyed  in  a  few  weeks  afterwards,  be- 
cause siie  thought  some  of  the  preachers,  especially  Mr.  Dean, 
did  not  treat  her  with  that  kindness  which  the  letter  betokened ; 
and  she  conscientiously  destroyed,  (so  she  told  me,)  what  she 
considered  an  insincere  token  of  fellowship. 

She  there  received  numerous  and  earnest  requests  from  the 
delegates  from  all  the  societies,  and  from  nearly  every  visiting 
brother,  to  come  to  their  respective  societies  and  towns  and  hold 
meetings;  and  she  readily  complied  with  as  many  of  these  calls 
as  her  time  and  health  would  permit.  She  possessed  no  means 
of  conveyance  of  her  own,  nor  did  she  desire  it ;  some  friends 
always  accompanied  her,  and  helped  her  from  place  to  place. 
Her  meetings,  for  a  season,  were  the  most  numerously  attended 
of  any  preacher  of  any  denomination,  who  had  ever  traveled 
through  the  country,  and  were  certainly  quite  advantageous  to 
the  cause  of  truth,  as  they  called  out  many  who,  had  it  not  been 
for  the  novelty  of  the  circumstance,  could  not  have  been  induced 
to  attend  a  Universalist  meeting  ;  and  who,  after  obtaining  some 
ideas  of  the  doctrine  from  her  discourses,  were  inclined  to  hear 
others  ;  and  her  remuneration  by  contributions  was  far  more  lib- 
eral  than  any  preacher  of  our  order  received,  or  perhaps  any 
itinerant  preacher  of  any  denomination.  But  Miss  Cook  had 
numerous  opposers  to  the  course  she  pursued,  irrespective  of  the 
doctrine  she  inculcated,  and  especially  among  her  own  sex,  who 
thought  it  very  improper,  and  even  indecent  for  a  woman  to 
preach,  and  especially  to  itinerate  as  she  did.  She  was  quite 
sensitive ;  and  t.he  vituperations  and  uncharitable  remarks  which 
were  constantly  falling  upon  her  ears  considerably  discomposed 
her,  and  soon  began  to  give  quite  a  tone  to  her  public  discourses, 
by  leading  her  into  long  arguments  in  vindication  of  her  right  to 
preach  ;  which  would  not  unfrequently  constitute  the  whole  bur- 
den  of  her  discourse.  This  rendered  them  rather  stale  and 
uninteresting  ;  the  novelty  of  the  circumstance  subsiding,  invi- 
tations became  less  frequent,  and  her  congregations  vastly  de- 
creased in  numbers.  She  however  remained  in  the  counties  of 
Chenango,  Madison,  Oneida,  Otsego,  and  Herkimer,  something 
like  a  year.     She  then  made  a  visit  to  the  region  of  Troy  ;  and 


LIFE    OF    EEV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  225 

quite  a  lengthy  stay,  (several  months  I  believe,)  among  the  Sha- 
kers; and  then  returned  to  her  friends  ;  for  she  had  a  mother, 
brothers,  and  sisters  in  Geneva  and  vicinity.  After  tl;!e  lapse  of 
a  year  or  more,  she  made  our  part  of  the  country  another  visit ; 
but  her  reception  was  not  so  cordial  and  flattering  as  on  her  first 
tour;  still  she  had  many  warm  friends  in  different  parts  of  the 
country.  She  preached  but  little;  and,  in  the  fall  of  the  year, 
took  up  her  residence  among  some  friends  in  that  part  of  the  town 
of  Otsego  called  Pierstown,  with  a  design  to  spend  the  winter. 
But  some  malignant  spirit,  who  wanted  to  spit  his  venom  against 
Universalism  in  some  form,  and  no  doubt  thinking  that,  by  dis- 
turbing her,  he  should  injure  the  feelings  of  some  of  her  friends, 
and  thereby  ingratiate  himself  into  the  favor  of  the  Orthodox 
aristocracy,  entered  a  complaint  to  the  proper  authorities,  statin» 
that  such  a  vagrant  person  was  in  town,  and  liable  to  become  a 
town-charge.  Nothing  could  have  been  more  untrue.  It  was 
generally  known  that  she  had  a  sufficient  income  to  maintain  her, 
secured  to  her  by  the  vv'ill  of  her  deceased  father — to  amply  pro- 
vide her  a  support  under  any  circumstances.  Her  brother,  on 
whom  I  once  called  by  her  request,  when  traveling  in  Western 
New  York,  told  me  that,  at  any  time  when  she  wished  to  return 
home,  he  would  send  for  her  ;  and,  at  any  time  when  she  needed 
money,  let  him  know  it,  and  he  Avould  send  it  to  her ;  notwith- 
standing, he  and  all  her  relatives  were  very  much  opposed  to 
the  course  she  was  pursuing,  and  considered  her  under  a  men- 
tal  derangement. 

But  a  precept  was  issued  by  Esquire  F.,  of  Cooperstown,  and 
put  into  the  hands  of  a  constable,  who  immediately  went  in  pur- 
suit of  her.  Her  friends  remonstrated  with  the  otiicer — told  him 
there  was  no  possible  necessity  for  disturbing  her,  that  they  would 
become  responsible  that  she  should  not  be  chargeable  upon  the 
town — but  all  to  no  purpose  ;  he  had  received  his  "  letter  of  au- 
thority," and  "haul  her  to  prison  "  he  would.  He  went  where 
she  had  taken  up  her  abode,  and  a  ludicrous#3ene  ensued.  He 
was  with  a  wagon  ;  and  he  informed  her,  that  the  law  required 
him  to  take  her  to  Cooperstown,  before  Esq.  F.  She  told  him, 
he  must  do  it  then.  "  Well,"  said  he,  "  will  you  take  a  seat  in 
the  wagon  ?"  She  replied,  "  No."  "  Well,  how  will  you  go  ?" 
She  answered,  "  I  will  not  go  at  all."  "But  the  law  requires 
me  to  carry  you  there."  -"  Well,  1  have  nothing  to  do  with  the 
law  ;  and,  if  you  have,  you  must  do  your  duty."  Buthowfe 
should  carry  her,  was  the  question,  if  she  would  not  get  into  his 
wagon.  "  That,"  said  she,  "  is  your  business — not  mine."  The 
0 


226  MEMOIRS   OF   THE 

man  was  completely  put  to  his  trumps — she  moved  not,  not 
would  she  move,  or  make  any  preparations.  It  was  about  five 
miles  where  he  wanted  to  carry  her.  He  was  finally  compelled, 
as  a  last  resort,  to  take  her  in  his  arms,  and  set  her  in  his  wagon, 
to  which  she  made  no  resistance.  The  friend  who  gave  me  the 
information,  circumstantially,  took  his  horse  and  followed  them, 
to  see  that  she  met  with  no  personal  abuse  ;  for  he  felt  confident 
they  never  could  extort  an  answer  from  her  to  a  single  question. 
The  constable  drove  to  the  door  of  the  office,  stopped  his  team, 
and  remarked,  "  This  is  Esq.  F.'s  office.  Will  you  get  out  of 
the  wagon,  and  walk  in."  She  replied,  "No  ;  I  have  no  busi- 
ness with  Esq.  P.;  if  he  has  business  with  me,  let  him  come  to 
me."  No  persuasion  could  make  her  move  from  the  wagon  ; 
and  the  constable  left' her,  went  into  the  office,  informed  the  ma- 
gistrate of  the  circumstance,  and  asked  him  what  he  should  do. 
The  magistrate  told  him  to  bring  her  into  the  office.  So  he  was 
again  compelled  to  take  her  in  his  arms,  carry  her  into  the  office, 
where  he  seated  her  in  a  chair ;  when  the  following  dialogue 
ensued : 

Magistrate.  ]\Iiss  Cook,  inasmuch  as  a  complaint  has  been  en- 
tered, I  have  been  obliged,  by  law,  to  issue  a  precept,  and  have 
you  brought  before  me,  not  to  abuse  you,  nor  to  injure  your  feel- 
ings, if  I  can  avoid  it ;  but  to  ask  you  a  feAv  questions,  relative  to 
your  place  of  residence,  means  of  subsistence,  &c. 

Miss  C.  You  can  ask  me  any  questions  you  please  ;  but  I  feel 
under  no  obligation  to  answer  you,  nor  shall  I  answer  any  of 
your  questions. 

Mag.  But  will  you  not  tell  me  your  place  of  residence? 

Miss  C.  No. 

Mag.  But  the  law  requires  it,  madam,  and  I  have  but  one 
course  to  pursue.  If  you  will  not  ansAver  the  necessary  inqui- 
ries, I  shall  be  under  the  disagreeable  necessity  to  commit  you 
to  jail,  until  you  will  answer. 

Miss  C.  You  (Hki  do  as  you  please.  I  have  seen  demons  in 
the  seat  of  justice  before  now — I  have  a  brother  who  acts  in  that 
capacity. 

Not  being  able  to  obtain  any  thing  like  an  answer  to  a  single 
question  he  proposed,  the  magistrate  wrote  a  mittimus  for  con- 
tempt of  court,  read  it  to  her,  and  handed  it  to  the  constable. 

Miss  C.  You  have  worded  it  right,  sir,  for  you  and  all  your 
proceedings  are  perfectly  contemptible,  in  my  view. 

Constable.  Miss  Cook,  will  you  walk  out,  and  take  a  seat  in 
the  wasron  ? 


LIFE    OF    REV.   NATHANIEL    STACY,  227 

Mss  €.  No.  •  ' 

The  constable  was,  therefore,  under  the  necessity  of  taking 
'lier  into  his  arms  again,  and  seating  her  in  the  wagon.  He  then 
■drove  to  the  jail,  carried  her  into  the  building,  and  delivered  her 
to  the  jailer.  The  keeper  was  a  friendly  man — -his  family  re- 
sided in  one  part  of  the  prison-house  ;  and  he  told  Miss  Cook, 
that  she  was  welcome  to  his  table,  and  gave  her  liberty  to  visit 
any  apartment  of  the  prison,  or  other  part  of  the  building  she 
was  disposed  to  see.  There  she  remained,  perfectly  contented 
and  happy,  for  several  weeks  ;  and,  while  in  these  circumstances, 
she  sent  word  to  me,  that  she  was  preaching  to  the  spirits  in 
prison.  After  some  weeks,  finding  they  could  neither  drive  nor 
flatter  her  to  pay  any  respect  to  their  authority,  the  magistrate 
hinted  to  the  jailer  to  get  rid  of  her  the  easiest  way  he  could. 

In  the  spring  following,  if  my  memory  be  correct,  she  made 
-another  visit  to  Troy,  then  returned  to  her  friends,  gave  up  trav- 
eling and  preaching,  and  remained  in  retirement  the  rest  of  her 
life.  1  never  saw  her  but  once  afterwards,  which  was  many 
years  since  she  had  relinquished  preaching.  In  the  year  1829, 
I  called  on  Mr.  O.  Ackley,  in  Hopewell,  Ontario  county,  where 
I  saw  Miss  Cook  for  the  last  time,  and  received  from  her  tongue 
the  most  severe  castigation  that  I  ever  received  from  any  mor- 
tal, male  or  female.  When  I  entered  the  house,  1  received  as 
cordial  and  friendly  greeting  as  I  ever  did,  and  that  was  as  af- 
fectionate as  I  was  in  the  habit  of  receiving  from  any  person  liv- 
ing ;  but  she  immediately  remarked,  "  Now  I  know  what  I  was 
sent  here  for."  She  then  proceeded  to  inform  me,  that  she  had 
an  irresistible  presentiment  that  it  was  her  duty  to  come  to  Bro- 
ther Ackley's,  and  to  com.e  that  morning  ;  and  so  powerfully  was 
it  impressed  upon  her,  that  she  had  walked  the  whole  distance 
of  ten  miles  before  breakfast.  She  felt  confident  she  had  a  call 
from  the  Lord  to  perform  some  important  duty ;  but  what  that 
•duty  was  she  had  no  distinct  perception  until  she  saw  me ;  but 
now  the  whole  was  unfolded  to  her — it  was  to  admonish,  to  ex- 
hort me,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  to  be  more  faithful  to  my 
duty.  Slie  said,  preaching  was  no  longer  of  any  use — she  had 
been  convinced  of  it  for  a  long  while,  and  she  was  persuaded  I 
must  be  also  convinced.  She  firmly  believed  the  doctrine — she 
believed  it  was  God's  truth,  and  would  ultimately  prevail — but 
it  must  be  through  other  means  tlian  preaching.  It  must  be  done 
by  work  ;  that  is,  by  organizing  into  an  apostolic  society — a  com- 
munity of  interest,  of  property.  This  had  been  a  favorite  topic 
for  many  years  ;  and  she  had  made  a  number  of  efforts  to  get 


223  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

such  a  society  established.  She  now  said,  that  I  had  sufficient 
influence  to  establish  such  a  society,  and  it  was  my  imperious 
duty  to  do  it — that  my  preaching  was  of  no  use,  nor  had  it  been 
for  years — that  I  had  been  losing  ground  for  a  good  while  past — 
that  the  Lord  had  begun  to  curse  me  for.  neglect  of  duty,  and  he 
would  still  heap  curses  upon  my  head;  and  she  devoutly  prayed 
that  he  would  curse  me  more  and  more  until  I  would  do  my  duty 
in  that  respect,  &c.,  &c.  This  Avas  the  last  interview  I  ever 
had  with  Miss  Cook.  She  lived  a  number  of  years  after  this  in 
retirement,  and,  indeed,  pretty  much  secluded  from  the  world : 
but  lived  and  died  in  full  faith  of  the  ultimate  universal  purifi. 
cation  and  happiness  of  mankind. 

]\Ir.  Smith,  in  his  "  Historical  Sketches,"  has  made  some -very 
appropriate  and  just  remarks,  in  relation  to  this  eccentric  woman. 

The  other  individual,  heretofore  mentioned,  was  Dr.  Lewis 
Beers,  of  the  town  of  Spencer,  Tioga  county,  but  now  Danby, 
Tompkins  county.  New  York.  It  is  not  strange  that  Mr.  Smith, 
in  his  "  Historical  Sketches,"  should  have  made  some  trifling 
mistakes  in  his  notice  of  this  individual,  inasmuch  as  the  inci- 
dents to  which  he  alludes  took  place  prior  to  his  connection  with 
the  Universalist  denomination  ;  and  as  it  is  presumable  that  he 
never  had  much,  if  any,  personal  acquaintance  with  him. 

Dr.  Beers  was  an  eminent  and  successful  practitioner  of  med- 
icine, a  native  of  the  State  ot  Connecticut,  and  educated  in  the 
most  rigid  school  of  Presbyterianism;  and  I  am  strongly  im- 
pressed v/ith  the  belief,  that  he  lived  a  number  of  years  in  the 
communion  of  that  church.  He  was  an  early  settler  in  that 
town  ;  and  by  skill  in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  and  his  suc- 
cessful financiering,  had  amassed  a  large  property.  His  mind, 
however,  was  too  inquisitive  to  be  content  with  the  incongruities 
of  Calvinism,  and  his  soul  too  capacious  to  be  satisfied  within 
the  narrow  limits  of  Partialism ;  and  by  dint  of  Biblical  study, 
with  the  help  of  a  few  books  that  fell  in  his  way,  he  arose,  I  am 
persuaded,  without  ever  hearing  a  discourse  from  a  Universalist 
preacher,  above  the  fcg  of  educational  prejudice  into  the  clear 
light  of  Gospel  truth  ;  and,  without  stopping  to  confer  with  flesh 
and  blood,  immediately  began  publishing  it  to  the  world.  He 
had,  I  think,  obtained  Mr.  Ballou's  Treatise  on  Atonement ;  and, 
having  ascertained  the  place  of  his  residence,  addressed  him  by 
letter,  requesting  information  concerning  the  state  of  our  organ- 
ization, and  what  steps  would  be  necessary  for  him  to  take  in 
order  to  unite  with  the  denomination  of  Universalists.  Mr.  Bal- 
lou  immediately  replied,  (the  Doctor  showed  me  the  letter,)  and 


LIFE   OF    REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  229 

informed  him  of  the  existence  of  the  "  Western  Association," 
which  was  the  first  knowledge  he  ever  obtained  of  such  an  or- 
ganization in  the  State  of  New  York ;  and  the  session  in  Bain- 
bridge,  which  he  attended,  was  the  first  meeting  of  this  body, 
after  he  obtained  that  knowledge. 

Doctor  Beers  delivered  one  discourse  at  this  meeting,  which 
abundantly  evinced  the  correctness  and  strength  of  liis  faith,  and 
his  ability  to  advocate  it  before  the  world  ;  and,  as  he  possessed 
ample  credentials  as  to  his  religious  and  moral  character,  on  his 
application  a  letter  of  fellowship,  as  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel, 
was  most  readily  and  cheerfully  granted.  It  is  presumable  that 
Dr.  B.,  at  this  time,  had  no  knowledge  whatever  of  the  "New 
Jerusalem  Church,"  and  that  he  had  never  seen  a  volume  of  the 
writings  of  Swedenbourg,  nor  any  other  writings  on  the  subject. 
From  ^he  time  of  our  first  acquaintance,  we  entered  into  an  epis- 
tolary correspondence,  which  was  continued  for  several  years ; 
and,  in  the  fall  of  this  year,  I  made  him  a  visit,  and  delivered 
a  number  of  discourses  in  his  neighborhood.  I  had  free  access 
to  his  library  while  there,  and  found  nothing  of  the  kind  among 
his  books,  nor  was  there  a  word  passed  between  us  on  the  sub- 
ject ;  but,  after  he  became  a  convert  to  Swedenbourgianism,  it 
constituted  one  of  the  most  common  themes  of  his  discourses. 
Some  time  in  the  spring  of  the  year  following,  if  I  mistake  not, 
I  received  through  the  post-office  the  first  number  of  a  periodical 
in  pamphlet  form,  entitled,  "  The  Halcyon  Luminary,"  publish- 
ed by  a  company  of  gentlemen  in  the  city  of  New  York.  It 
exhibited  high  literary  merits,  and  its  mechanical  execution  was 
in  the  first  style.  It  was  religious  in  its  character,  but  professed 
to  discard  all  sectarianism,  to  advocate  liberty  of  thought  and 
investigation ;  and  it  promised  to  give  a  key,  which  would  fully 
and  certainly  unlock  all  the  mysteries  of  divine  Revelation,  and 
deliver  the  church  from  the  dense  fog  in  which  it  had  so  long 
groped,  and  bring  it  out  into  the  brilliant  light  and  sun-shine  of 
Gospel  truth.  I  read  it  with  considerable  interest — and  read  it 
again;  but  there  was  something  about  it,  notwithstanding  its 
professed  transparency,  so  inscrutable,  so  mystical,  that  it  ap- 
peared to  me,  on  the  whole,  to  be  itself  in  a  more  dense  fog  than 
that  which  it  proposed  to  dispel  from  the  atmosphere  of  the 
church;  and  I  had  so  little  faith  in  its  ability  to  fulfil  its  high 
pretensions,  that  I  made  no  return  for  it,  nor  interested  myself 
in  its  favor,  and  consequently  never  received  another  number. 
How  many  of  our  preachers  received  it  I  am  unable  to  say  ;  but 
Dr.  Beers  did,  and  I  shortly  after  received  a  letter  from  him,  ex- 


2S0  MEMOIRS   OF    THE 

tolling  the  work  beyond  measure  ;  and  when  I  again  visited  him, 
in  the  fall  of  1812,  he  had  received  all  the  numbers  which  had 
then  been  published,  and  was  drinking  deeply  into  its  doctrine. 
He  had  obtained  the  "  key  "  to  the  mysteries  of  Revelation,  and 
was  able  to  begin  to  explain  the  inspired  word  quite  clearly,  in 
his  own  estimation,  at  least,  by  the  '•  science  of  corresponden- 
cies." Shortly  after  this — certainly  witliin  two  years — he  vis- 
ited the  city  of  New  York,  united  with  the  "  New  Jerusalem 
Church,"  and  received  ordination  at  the  hands  of  the  clergy  of 
that  denomination.  Subsequently,  he  built  a  meeting-house  at 
his  own  expense,  principally  if  not  wholly,  in  his  own  neighbor- 
hood, collected  something  of  a  congregation,  and  organized  a 
church  to  which  he  ministered.  During  his  visit  to  New  York, 
he  procured  the  voluminous  writings  of  Baron  Swedenbourg, 
which  comprised  a  vastly  greater  bulk  than  his  extensive  medi- 
cal library.  On  his  showing  me  the  ponderous  tomes  v*^hich 
contained  his  theological  lore,  I  remarked,  "Br.  Beers,  1  can 
never  become  a  Swedenbourgian."  "  Why,"  he  asked.  "  Be- 
cause I  could  never  find  time  to  study  the  theory — I  should  rather 
undertake  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  your  medical  profession 
than  your  theology — it  would  require  less  time  and  labor."  He 
replied,  "  Well,  you  are  about  right." 

This  change  of  opinion,  (if  change  of  opinion  it  may  be 
called)  never  interrupted,  in  any  degree,  our  fraternal  inter- 
course, for  he  never  would  acknowledge  to  me  that  he  believed 
in  endless  misery  or  unhappiness  in  any  form  whatever;  but 
said,  as  he  understood  it,  the  doctrine  of  the  final  restitution  was 
not  incompatible  with  the  doctrine  of  thenevr  church.  I  visited 
him  repeatedly  after  this,  and  preached  in  his  neighborhood  and 
vicinity  ;  and  he  made  me  a  visit  and  preached  for  me  one  Sun- 
day in  Hamilton.  On  my  first  visit  to  him  after  he  united  with 
the  Swedenbourgian  church,  I  said  to  him,  "  Brother  Beers, 
you  have  placed  yourself  in  a  very  singular  predicament,  hav- 
ing united  yourself  to  a  church  who  probably  would  not  ac- 
knowledge Universalism,  as  a  Christian  faith,  without  a  formal 
withdrawal  from  us  ;  and  therefore  stand  as  a  visible  member 
of  the  two  churches,  who  hold  no  fellowship  with  each  other. 
Wliat  are  you  going  to  do  about  it  ?"  "  I  confess,"  he  said, 
"there  appears  a  discrepancy  in  my  conduct ;  but  I  could  not 
conveniently  make  known  my  views  and  wishes  to  the  Asso' 
ciation  previous  to  the  step  I  have  taken.  I  think  the  Associa- 
tion had  better  withdraw  fellowship  from  me."  "  But  you  know, 
Brother  Beers,  that  we  can  not  withdraw  the  hand  of  fellowship 


LIFE    OF   REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  231 

merely  for  opinion's  sake,  unless  that  opinion  denies  faith  in  the 
Christian  religion.  *  No,  you  must  withdraw  from  us  ;  and  that 
you  enjoy  the  privilege  of  doing,  with  or  without  giving  your 
reason  for  the  act,  at  your  own  choice."  "  But,"  said  he,  "I 
can  not  conscientiously  do  that,  because  that  would  be  mani- 
festation of  feeling  foreign  to  my  heart  ;  I  have  the  same 
cordial  fellowship  for  my  Universal  brethren  that  I  ever  had ; 
I  consider  them  right,  in  almost  every  point  of  doctrine,  and 
the  nearest  right,  by  far,  of  any  denomination  of  Christians 
except  the  New  Jerusalem  Church,  and  I  shall  always  esteem 
it  a  privilege  to  unite  with  them  in  religious  worship."  "  Well," 
I  replied,  "if  you  will  not  withdraw  you  must  remain,  for  aught 
I  see,  in  your  present  awkward  position,  unless  you  commit 
some  crime  ;  but  look  out,  sir,  if  you  commit  crime,  you  will 
doubtless  have  to  meet  a  double  retribution  ;  for  we  shall  most 
certainly  deal  with  you  as  a  member  of  our  church." 

Such  were  the  real  feelings  of  Dr.  Beers,  no  doubt ;  for  his 
conduct  evinced  the  sincerity  of  his  profession.  He  remained, 
while  I  had  any  knowledge  of  him,  a  warm  friend  of  Univer- 
salists  and  Universalism,  and  does,  I  presume,  to  the  present 
day,  if  he  is  yet  in  the  land  of  the  living.  But  many  years 
have  passed  since  I  have  seen,  or  even  heard  from  him  ;  I  know 
not  whether  he  still  remains  a  tenant  of  the  earth,  or  whether 
he  has  gone  to  that  brighter  and  better  world  he  so  firmly  be- 
lieved in,  and  so  ardently  anticipated.  He  was  a  good  man,  a 
practical  Christian,  and  enjoyed  the  unlimited  confidence  of  his 
friends  and  tlie  high  esteem  of  all  his  acquaintances. 

In  my  itinerations  in  Madison  county,  particularly  in  the 
towns  of  Nelson,  Smithfield,  and  vicinity,  I  had  frequent  inter- 
views with  a  deputy-sheriff,  by  the  name  of  Matteson,  vv^ho  be- 
came favorably  impressed  with  the  doctrine,  and  improved 
every  convenient  opportunity  to  hear  it  preached.  He  was  a 
favorite  of  his  principal,  and  being  often  with  him,  talked  much 
about  the  new  doctrine,  and  expressed  a  strong  desire  for  the 
sheriff,  J.  Whipple  Esq.,  to  hear  it.  He  succeeded  at  last  in 
exciting  a  curiosity  in  the  mind  of  the  sheriff,  and  he  sent  a  re- 
quest to  me,  by  Matteson,  to  make  an  appointment  at  his  house. 
Cazenovia  was  then  the  seat  of  justice  for  Madison  county,  and 
Whipple  of  course  resided  there.  Matteson  very  cheerfully 
made  the  application  in  behalf  of  the  sherilT,  and  assured  me, 
that  I  would  receive  kind  and  respectful  treatment  ;  and  I  gave 
him  liberty  to  make  the  appointment.  In  the  month  of  April, 
1811,  was  delivered  the  first  Universalist  discourse  ever  preach. 


232  MEMOIRS    OF    THE^ 

ed  in  the  village  of  Cazenovia.  Whipple,  however,  was  rather 
timid  ;  fearful,  probably,  that  it  might  eclip'se  his  popularity  to- 
show  too  much  favor  to  such  an  unpopular  sect,  and  therefore, 
did  not  diffuse  the  information  very  extensively  ;  but  enough 
assembled  to  handsomely  line  a  large  square  room  in  his  dwell- 
ing-house. Not  a  child,  or  one  in  minority,  nor  a  female,  ap- 
peared in  the  congregation  until  I  arose  to  commence  service^ 
when  two  women,  one  of  them  I  afterwards  learned  was  Mrs. 
W.,  just  entered  within  the  room  ;  and,  looking  warily  around 
as  though  fearful  of  some  impending  catastrophe,  seated  them- 
selves near  the  door,  cautiously  keeping  it  open  so  as  to  secure 
a  safe  retreat,  in  case  of  an  onset.  I  was  pleased  with  my 
congregation,  notwithstanding  ;  they  looked  like  men  of  respect- 
ability, and  of  mature  judgment,  and  of  sufficient  understand- 
ing to  comprehend  what  I  had  to.  say  to  them ;  and  they  gave 
very  serious  and  close  attention.  The  discourse  was  closed^ 
the  congregation  were  thanked  and  dismissed,  and  every  soul 
left  the  room,  leaving  me  entirely  alone.  Not  more  than  five 
minutes  elapsed,  however,  before  Whipple  returned,  and  said, 
Mr.  M. — 5  one  of  the  Deacons  of  the  Presbyterian  church,, 
had  been  one  of  my  hearers,  and  had  expressed  a  wish  to  have 
some  conversation  with  me.  1  requested  Mr.  W.  to  introduce- 
him,  as  I  should  esteem  it  a  privilege  to  gratify  his  desire.  He 
withdrew,  and  in  two  or  three  minutes  returned,  followed  by  the 
Deacon,  and  nearly  or  quite  every  other  individual  that  com- 
pos^ my  congregation,  except  the  women.  We  were  intro- 
duced, and  the  Deacon  remarked^ — that  he  wished  to  ask  me  a 
number  of  questions  ;  but  as  he  did  not  feel  competent  to  enter  in- 
to an  argument,  he  wanted  I  should  agree  not  to  ask  him  a  single 
question.  I  replied,  that  was  quite  an  unusual  and  unequal 
way  of  holding  a  discussion  ;  but  as  I  was  perfectly  willing, 
and  even  desirous  that  everybody  should  know  my  opinion,  and 
investigate  and  prove  my  doctrine,  for  I  entertained  no  fears  that 
it  would  suffer  by  investigation,  I  would  cheerfully  indulge 
him ;  and  he  might  ask  me  as  many  questions  as  he  was  dis- 
posed to  ask,  and  I  would  answer  as  many  as  I  could.  The 
Deacon  was  very  mild  and  pleasant,  exhibiting  none  of  that  fe- 
rocity so  common  among  opposers  of  the  doctrine,  but  demeaned 
himself  like  a  Christian.  W'e  conversed  an  hour  or  more  ;  the 
Deacon  asked  me  a  number  of  questions  relative  to  the  pecu- 
liarities of  my  doctrine  ;  and  then  requested  me  to  reconcile  a 
large  number  of  passages  of  Scripture  therewith,  which  he 
considered  as  insuperable  objections  to  the  doctrine.     The  pass- 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  233 

ages,'  as  usual,  consisted  mostly  of  parables  ;  and  the  Deacon 
listened  with  much  patience,  and  some  manifestations  of  sur- 
prise at  my  expositions  ;  while  a  death-like  stillness  was  main- 
tained  by  our  auditors.  When  the  Deacon  had  exhausted  the 
catalogue  of  passages  which  his  memory  retained,  he  seemed 
to  sit  in  deep  thought  for  a  few  moments,  and  then  resumed, 
"  Well,  Mr.  Stacy,  your  doctrine  appears  reasonable  ;  but  I 
can  not  believe  it." 

Stacy.  Why,  Deacon  ? 

Deacon.  Because  I  believe  God  is  just — I  believe  he  is  a  just 
as  well  as  a  merciful  God. 

S.  Well,  Deacon,  so  do  I.  I  believe  God  is  infinitely  just — 
that  his  justice  is  inflexible — that  it  never  did,  and  never  will 
yield  to  mercy,  nor  relinquish  one  of  its  least  demands  ;  and  be- 
cause I  so  believe,  I  fully  believe  in  the  ultimate  holiness  and 
happiness  of  all  intelligent  beings. 

Dea.  I  don't  understand  that — I  don't  see  how  that  can  be. 
I  have  always  supposed,  that  if  God  dealt  with  us  according  to 
strict  justice,  not  one  soul  could  ever  be  saved. 

S.  Well,  Deacon,  you  have  certainly  talked  long  enough  with 
me,  not  to  be  afraid  of  me — to  be  afraid  1  will  deal  captiously 
with  you  ;  and  now,  if  you  will  answer  me  a  very  few  plain, 
simple  questions — answer  them  just  as  you  think,  just  as  you 
feel,  without  the  least  reserve — I  think  I  can  make  it  appear 
perfectly  plain  to  you,  so  plain  that  you  can  not  help  but  under- 
stand  me. 

Dea.  Well,  I  will  try  to  answer, 

S.  Well,  Deacon,  Is  it  not  perver.sely  wicked  and  unjust  for 
us  to  hate  God,  and  hate  man  ?  And  is  not  hatred  of  God,  and 
hatred  of  man,  the  fruitful  source  of  all  our  sins  and  consequent 
misery — the  profound  abyss  of  human  depravity  ? 

Dea.  Well,  I  must  confess  I  believe  it  is. 

iS.  Then,  sir,  can  a  soul  be  miserable,  who  loves  God  with  all 
his  powers,  and  his  neighbor  as  himself? 

Dea.  O,  no ;  by  no  means.  Love  to  God  and  love  to  man, 
constitute  heavenly  felicity. 

S.  And  does  not  God  righteously  and  justly  demand  this  su- 
preme love  of  all  his  intelligent  creation  ? 

Dea.  Yes,  certainly, 

S.  Then  does  not  this  love  to  God  and  love  to  man  constitute 
the  sum  total  of  the  demands  of  divine  justice  ? 

Dea.  I  think  it  does. 

S.  Now,  Deacon,  do  you  believe  that  God,  in  the  economy  of 


234  MEMOIRS   OF    THE 

his  wisdom,  has  devised  any  means  by  which  his  justice  will  be 
fully  vindicated  and  satisfied  2 

J)ea.  Most  certainly. 

<S.  Well,  Deacon,  you  and  I  believe  just  alike.  We  are  co- 
believers  in  the  same  glorious  dgctrine  of  the  final  Restitution. 

T)ea.  I  think  not. 

<S.  O  yes — you  are  as  clear  a  Universalist  as  I  have  found 
lately ;  and  I  profess  to  be  a  preacher  of  that  doctrine. 

Dea.  I  do  not  understand  it  so. 

iS.  Well,  Deacon,  I'll  try  to  make  you  understand  it.  You 
have  acknowledged  that  you  believe,  first,  That  the  infinite  jus- 
tice of  God  demands  of  all  intelligent  beings,  that  they  should 
love  God  with  all  the  heart,  and  each  other  as  themselves  ;  and 
that  this  constitutes  the  sum  total  of  the  requirements  of  the  di- 
vine and  just  law  of  God;  therefore,  nothing  but  this  love  can 
satisfy  the  demands  of  justice — punishment  can  never  do  it,  nor 
tend  towards  it,  unless  that  punishment  produce  this  love.  Sec- 
ondly, Yqu  believe  that  this  love  constitutes  heavenly  felicity — 
that  no  one,  in  the  enjoyment  of  love  is,  or  can  be,  miserable. 
Thirdly,  You  believe  that  God  has  devised  efficient  means  where- 
by his  justice  will  be  fully  satisfied  ;  and  as  nothing  but  love 
will  satisfy  its  demands,  so  it  necessarily  and  unavoidably  fol- 
lows, that  God  has  devised  means  whereby  all  mankind  will 
eventually  love  God  with  all  their  powers,  or  justice  will  forever 
be  dissatisfied  ;  and,  therefore,  all  intelligent  beings  will  be  par- 
takers of  heavenly  felicity. 

Sheriff  Whipple,  (with  rather  a  boisterous  laugh,  and  loud 
voice.)  There,  Deacon,  you're  down  now — give  it  up — give  it 
up. 

The  whole  congregation  broke  out  into  rather  a  disagreeable 
laugh,  and  the  Deacon  dropped  his  head.  I  then  resumed ; 
"Now,  Deacon,  by  reviewing  this  subject,  you  will  be  led  to  see 
what  you  probably  never  have  before  seen,  that  the  justice  and 
mercy  of  God  are  not  conflicting  attributes — that  so  far  from  op- 
posing each  other,  they  meet  and  embrace  in  the  Gospel  plan  of 
salvation — that  while  justice  inflexibly  demands  supreme  love  to 
God,  and  love  to  man,  which  the  sinner,  of  himself  could  never 
yield,  mercy,  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  steps  in  and  enables 
him  to  comply  with  the  demands  of  divine  justice.  Therefore, 
in  the  salvation  of  the  whole  human  race,  and  in  no  other  way, 
both  justice  and  mercy  can  have  their  demands  to  the  last  frac- 
tion, and  both  be  fully  satisfied.  The  Deacon,  at  length,  raised 
his  head,  and,  with  a  pleasant  smile,  gave  me  his  hand,  and  hade 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  235 

me  good-bye.  In  subsequent  years  a  small  congregation  was 
raised  in  Cazenovia,  to  whom  I  frequently  preached  ;  but  I  never 
again  saw  Deacon*  M. 

Mrs.  Whipple,  notwithstanding  she  was  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  and  exhibited  a  great  deal  of  caution  and 
even  shyness  at  first,  was  a  lady  of  kind  feelings  ;  and  eventu- 
ally became  quite  sociable,  and  treated  me  with  great  politeness  ; 
and,  after  the  congregation  retired,  we  enjoyed  a  very  pleasant 
interview.  After  we  had  partaken  of  some  refreshment,  which 
was  liberally  and  cheerfully  provided  by  Mrs.  W.,  the  Sheriff 
himself  took  me  in  hand. 

Whipple,  Well,  Mr.  Stacy,  you  have  given  us  a  good  dis- 
course, to-day — ^just  what  I  believe,  but  it  is  not  Christianity. 

S.  Not  Christianity,  Esquire !  Then  I  have  made  a  most 
capital  mistake.  I  verily  thought  I  was  advocating  the  Chris- 
tian religion  in  its  purity. 

W.  No,  that  was  not  the  Christian  religion ;  but  it  was  good 
— ^it  was  truth — ^just  what  I  believe. 

S.  If  it  were  not  Christianity,  Esquire,  what  do  you  call  it? 

W.  Deism— I  am  a  Deist. 

jS.  a  Deist !  what  makes  you  a  Deist  ? 

W.  O,  the  inconsistencies  of  the  Bible — a  book  so  full  of  in- 
consistencies can't  be  true.  I  was  educated  strictly  in  Presby- 
terianism.  My  mother  was  a  rigid  professor,  arfd  a  good  wo- 
man ;  and  she  took  much  pains  with  my  religious  education ; 
she  made  me  learn  the  Catechism,  and  attend  church  strictly 
when  I  was  young ;  but  when  I  became  old  enough  to  read  the 
Bible  for  myself,  I  found  it  so  full  of  absurdities  and  contradictions, 
that  I  became  fully  satisfied  it  was  a  mere  fiction—the  invention 
of  designing  men — and  1  threw  it  aside  ;  and  I  have  paid  no  at- 
tention to  it  for  many  years. 

S.  Wherein  do  you  find  the  greatest  difficulty,  in  reconciling 
the  Scriptures  with  reason  and  common  sense,  or  with  them- 
selves ? 

W.  O,  they  are  full  of  contradictions ;  and  a  witness  who  con- 
tradicts himself  is  not  to  be  credited. 

S.  But  is  there  not  some  one  idea,  or  sentiment,  contained  in 
the  Bible,  more  difficult  for  you  to  reconcile  than  any  other  ? 

W.  Yes ;  the  notion  of  the  Trinity  is  the  greatest  absurdity 
of  all. 

S.  And  are  you  sure  that  the  common  notion  of  the  Trinity 
is  contained  in  the  Bible  ? 

W.  O,  yes;  the  Bible  is  full  of  it— every  where. 


236  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

S.  Well,  sir ;  I  have  been  a  diligent  student  of  the  Bible  for 
many  years,  and  have  not  been  able  to  find_  it  there,  nor  do  I 
believe  it. 

W.  O,  I  knew  you  were  a  Deist  by  your  preaching. 

iS.  No;  I  am  not  a  Deist — I  firmly  believe  the  Scriptures  of 
the  Old  and  New  Testaments  are  a  revelation  from  God,  and  con- 
tain no  contradictions,  nor  absurdities,  when  rightly  understood  ; 
but  the  doctrines  of  men,  and  the  prejudices  of  education,  have 
so  misrepresented  the  Bible,  that  it  is  not  surprising  that  a  rational 
mind,  who  will  not  take  the  liberty  to  read  it  himself,  independ- 
ently of  the  teachings  of  others,  should  be  led  to  reject  it.  No, 
sir;  I  have  carefully  examined  the  whole  Bible  ;  and  the  doc- 
trine of  Athanasian  Trinitarianism  can  not  be  found  there. 

W.  I  am  sure  it  is — 1  can  find  it  in  almost  every  part  of  the 
old  book. 

S.  Well,  sir,  take  the  Bible,  and  show  it  to  me  if  you  can  ; 
and  let  us  examine  the  Bible,  and  see  what  it  does  say  about  it. 

The  Bible  was  produced,  down  we  sat,  and  continued  our  ex- 
amination until  long  after  the  clock  struck  twelve.  The  Sheriff 
was  not  very  conversant  v>ith  the  Bible  ;  he  had  never  read  it 
much  ;  but  he  was  able  to  find  some  passages  which  he  thought 
supported  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  and  I  helped  him  to  all 
such  as  are  generally  quoted  in  proof  of  it ;  and  the  result  was, 
that  he  acknoNMedged  that  there  was  not  sufficient  evidence  to 
establish  the  doctrine  ;  and  he  seemed  a  little  mortified  that  he 
should  have  been  so  confident,  and  promised  to  read  the  Bible 
again,  more  carefully. 

The  next  morning  I  arose  and  went  out  into  the  sitting-room. 
The  Sheriff  and  his  wife  slept  in  an  adjoining  bed-room,  and, 
hearing  me  come  into  the  room,  called  out,  "  Mr.  Stacy,  is  that 
you?" 

5.  Yes,  sir. 

W.  Well,  I  will  get  up  then.  I  have  not  slept  much ;  you 
plagued  me  so,  last  night,  I  could  not  sleep — I  have  been  think- 
ing  it  all  over ;  and  I  have  got  a  text  for  you  now,  that  you  can't 
get  rid  of  so  easily  as  you  did  them  last  night. 

(By  this  time  he  had  got  into  the  room  half  dressed,  and  ap- 
peared quite  confident  and  exulting.) 

S.  Well,  Esquire,  I  am  glad  you  have  found  another  text — 
I  want  tlie  truth ;  and  I  want  to  hear  the  strongest  arguments, 
and  the  most  direct  proofs,  that  can  be  found  in  favor  of  that 
doctrine. 

W.  Well,  I  have  got  you  down  now ;  you  can  not  explain 
this  away  so  easily  as  you  have  done  the  others. 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  237 

S.  But,  Esquire,  what  is  it  ?     Let  us  have  it. 

W.  There  are  three  persons  in  the  C4od-heacl,  the  Father,  the 
Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost ;  and  these  three  are  one  God,  the  same 
in  substance,  equal  in  power  and  glory.  There,  get  rid  of  that 
if  you  can. 

S.  Well,  Esquire,  you  have  got  it  now  in  as  plain  words  as 
can  be  spoken.     I  hardly  know  what  I  shall  do  with  that  text. 

W.  Ah  !  I  knew  there  was  something  stronger  than  any  thing 
we  found  last  night.  You  plagued  me  so  that  I  could  not  think, 
but  after  I  went  to  bed  it  came  to  me. 

S.  Do  you  recollect  where  the  text  may  be  found,  Esquire  ? 

W.  I  don't  exactly  recollect  where  it  is;  but  1  can  find  it  in 
a  very  little  while — I  read  it  not  long  since ;  but  I  guess  you 
can  tell  where  it  is,  if  you  are  disposed ;  for  I  find  you  have  the 
Bible  almost  by  heart. 

S.  But  I  want  you  to  find  it.  Esquire.  Perhaps  when  we  come 
to  find  it,  and  examine  the  context,  we  may  not  find  it  so  difficult 
after  all,  as  it  now  appears  to  be.  My  method  for  examinino-  ab- 
struse passages  is  to  examine  the  context,  learn  the  subject  the 
writer  is  discoursing  upon,  then  find  collateral,  or  similar  pas- 
sages ;  and,  by  comparing  them,  1  can  generally  very  clearly 
understand  the  meaning  of  the  writer,  as  I  think.  Now  I  Avish 
you  to  find  that  passage,  that  we  may  examine  it  according  to 
this  rule. 

W.  Well,  I  can  find  it  in  a  very  short  time  ;  but  I  guess  you 
can  tell  me  v/here  it  is,  if  you  have  a  mind  to  do  so. 

(Upon  so  saying,  he  started  for  his  Bible  ;  but  1  interrupted 
him.)  \ 

S.  You  need  not  get  your  Bible,  Bsquire.  I  can  tell  you 
exactly  where  you  may  find  the  text. 

W.  I  thought  you  could,  if  you  would.     Where  is  it  ? 

*S.  In  the  Primer. 

W.  In  the  primer !  Why,  is  it  not  in  the  Bible  ? 

S.  Oh,  no — It  was.  never  in  the  Bible,  unless  you,  or  some 
good  Trinitarian,  placed  it  there, 

W.  But  I'm  sure  it's  in  the  Bible,  I  believe  I  have  read  it 
there  a  great  many  times. 

S.  You  say,  sir,  that  you  were  educated  a  Presbyterian,  that 
your  mother  was  a  member  of  the  church,  and  was  strict  in  her 
religious  discipline  ;  and  if  so,  she  made  you  learn  the  old  As- 
sembly's catechism — I  presume  she  would  call  you  up,  at  least, 
every  Sunday,  and  with  the  primer  in  one  hand  and  a  rod  in 
the  other,  so  as  to  whip  you  if  you  did  not  answer  right,  would 


S3S  MEMOIRS   OF  THE 

oblige  you  to  answer  all  the  questions  of  the  shorter  catechism. 
XV.  Well,  she  did  exactly  so. 

S.  Well,  sir,  can  you  now  recollect  the  answer  to  the  follow' 
ing  question,  "  How  many  persons  are  there  in  the  God-head  ?" 
W.  (Dropping  his  head  and  reflecting  for  a  moment) — Well, 
I  declare  !  I  believe  it  is  in  the  primer,  after  all  :  but  it  really 
appeared  to  me  like  Bible  language,  and  I  certainly  thought  it 
was  there. 

S.  No  doubt,  and  so  do  a  great  many  other  sectarian  phrases 
probably  appear  to  you,  and  to  many  other  people,  educated  as 
you  were,  like  Scripture.  The  prejudices  of  education  are 
very  powerful  ;  and  it  requires  a  vigorous  effort  of  mind  to  rise 
above  them,  so  as  to  think  and  reason  for  ourselves.  But  I  do 
seriously  think,  Esquire,  if  you  will  give  yourself  time  to  read 
the  Bible  once  more,  candidly,  without  prejudice,  you  will  have 
a  very  different  opinion  of  it,  from  what  you  now  have. 

He  again  promised  me  he  would  read  the  Bible  once  more  ; 
but  whether  he  ever  redeemed  this  promise,  I  am  unable  to  say. 
I  saw  him  at  my  meetings  several  times  afterwards,  and  indeed 
a  number  of  years  afterwards  ;  but  never  had  enough  inter- 
course with  him  to  learn  whether  he  ever  renounced  Deism ; 
at  any  rate,  he  never  attached  himself  to  our  denomination. 

There  was  an  old  gentleman,  by  the  name  of  Ballard,  resi* 
ding  in  the  town  of  DeRuyter,  Madison  county,  who  had  re- 
ceived the  cognomen  of  doctor.  He  was  what  we  vulgarly 
called,  a  root-doctor,  of  considerable  celebrity,  and  extensive 
practice.  He  "was  an  emigrant  from  the  State  of  Rhode  Island, 
was  bred  a  Friend-Quaker,  and  retained  many  of  their  plain 
habits  ;  but  many  yeaA  before  this,  had  embraced  the  doctrine 
of  Universal  Salvation.  He  was  rather  an  eccentric  man 
fond  of  discussion,  shrewd  in  argument,  and  acquired  consider- 
able notoriety  on  that  account.  He  sought  my  acquaintance, 
often  attended  my  meetings,  and  familiarly  visited  at  my  house. 
This  man  was  in  the  habit  of  journeying  to  the  Genesee  coun- 
try once  or  twice  a  year,  to  collect  such  roots  and  herbs  as  he 
could  not  find  in  the  vicinity  of  his  own  residence.  He  in- 
formed me  that  he  had  found  many  Universalists  in  that  country, 
and  that  they  had  organized  societies,  and  held  a  general  meet- 
ing once  a  year,  which  they  called  a  Convention  ;  and  that  he 
had  informed  them  about  me,  and  the  state  of  the  cause  in  our 
section  of  country ;  and  they  were  very  anxious  that  I  should 
meet  them  at  their  next  convention.  This  request  was  renewed 
-with  much  earnestness  through  Dr.  Ballard,  who  proposed  to  ac- 


LIFE   OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  230 

company  me,' and  I  consented  to  go.  Their  annual  meeting 
Was  appointed  to  be  held  that  year,  (1811,)  in  that  part  of  the 
town  of  Gorham  which  now  constitutes  the  town  of  Hopewell, 
on  the  first  Sunday  and  Monday  following  in  October.  The 
doctor  and  I  arrived  at  the  town  of  Benton,  some  twenty  mile^s 
distant  from  the  place  of  meeting,  on  the  Friday  preceding, 
and  stopped  at  Esq.  Benton's,  one  of  our  friends  ;  for  the  doctor 
had  searohed  out  all  the  Universalists  in  that  region,  and  seemed 
quite  familiarly  acquainted  with  the  whole  brotherhood.  On 
our  arrival,  we  were  informed  that  Elder  Parker,  a  Free-will 
Baptist,  had  an  appointment,  for  a  lecture  that  evening  at  the 
house  of  our  friend,  in  the  immediate  neighborhood,  by  the  nan^ 
of  Gage  ;  and  although  1  was  much  fatigued,  having  preached 
the  Sunday  previous  in  the  town  of  ••Butternuts,  thirty  miles 
east  of  my  residence,  and  then  traveled  one  hundred  and  ten 
miles  west  of  it  to  reach  this  place  ;  nevertheless,  I  proposed 
attending.  At  the  hour  appointed  we  repaired  to  the  place  ; 
Elder  Parker  had  arrived,  and  we  were  introduced  to  each  other. 
He  was  a  man  on  the  down-hill  of  life,  but  of  sound  health,  and 
vigorous  constitution,  and  probably  retained  the  use  of  all  his 
physical  and  mental  faculties  as  well  as  at  any  period  of  life,  al- 
though he  was  in  all  probability  advanced  of  sixty  years  •  and 
withal  I  found  him  a  social,  companionable  man,  and,  as  I 
thought  at  the  first  introduction,  possessing  more  tlian  an  ordi- 
nary share  of  kindness  and  charity,  for  a  Partialist  preacher. 
He  was  one  of  the  earliest  followers  of  the  celebrated  Jemima 
Wilkinson,  was  her  principal  agent  in  purchasing  the  tract  of 
land  in  that  pountry  on  which  she  and  her  followers  settled,  and 
removed  with  her  from  Rhode  Island  into  their  New  Jerusalem. 
But  several  years  previous  to  the  time  of  which  I  am  speaking, 
he  had  seceded  from  her  connection  ;  had  united  himself  with 
the  Free-will,  or  Open-communion  Baptists,  and  had  been  or- 
dained as  Eider  in  that  church. 

We  enjoyed  a  momentary  and  pleasant  interviev/  ;  and  just 
as  it  became  necessary  to  open  the  services  of  the  evening,  the 
Elder  addressed  me  and  said,  "You  will  preach  this  evening." 
"  Oh,  no,"  I  replied,  "  I  am  too  much  fatigued  to  "preach  ;  and, 
moreover,  the  meeting  was  expressly  appointed  for  you  ;  the 
people  have  assembled  to  hear  a  Baptist,  and  it  would  be  an  im- 
position on  the  congregation,  to  compel  them  to  hear  a  Univer- 
salist,  contrary  to  their  voluntary  inclination."  "I  was  early 
taught,"  said  he,  "  never  to  hold  a  man  by  the  button,  to  hear  me 
speak ;  these  people  have  heard  me  often  ;  you  are  a  stranger 


240  '  MEMOIRS  OF    THE 

whom  they  have  never  heard  ;  and  they  will  now  be  much  bet- 
ter satisfied  to  hear  you  than  they  would  to  hear  me  ;  and  I 
now  tell  you,  if  you  do  not  preach,  there  will  be  no  preaching 
this  evening."  ''  But  will  that  be  right,  Elder  ?"  He  replied, 
"  Right,  or  not  right,  I  shall  risk  it — if  you  don't  preach,  there 
will  be  no  preaching  this  evening."  "  Well,"  said  I,  "  although 
1  feel  hardly  able,  in  consequence  of  the  fatigue  of  my  jour- 
ney;  yet,  rather  than  to  have  the  people  go  away  without  any- 
thing being  said,  if  you  will  pray,  I  will  try  to  say  something." 
To  this  he  readily  agreed,  and  we  had  a  very  comfortable  meet- 
ino-.  I  remained  at  Mr.  Gage's  all  "night;  and  the  Elder  and 
1  slept  together,  or  rather  occupied  the  same  bed  ;  for  we  slept 
but  little.  He  was  full  of  his  inquiries  about  my  doctrine,  and 
how  I  could  reconcile  such  and  such  passages  of  Scripture  with 
it ;  and  I  was  as  ready  and  as  zealous  to  answer,  as  he  was  to 
to  ask  questions ;  and  we  talked  the  night  away,  in  half  tlie 
time,  apparently,  of  an  ordinary  night. 

The  Elder  informed  me  that  he  was  on  his  way,  designedly, 
to  attend  the  Convention  in  Gorham ;  and  consequently  we 
rode  together  all  the  next  day.  In  the  course  of  the  day,  he 
introduced  rne'to  a  number  of  friends,  some  of  his  faith,  and 
some  Universalists,  and  among  them,  to  his  wife,  -who  was  on  a 
visit  among  several  of  her  children  in  the  town,  of  Seneca. 
She  was  a  second  wife,  a  vvidow  with  a  large  family  of  children, 
when  they  were  married.  We  arrived  at  the  place  of  appoint- 
ment a  little  before  night — time  enough,  however,  for  notice  to 
be  given  for  an  evening  lecture  ;  and  I  delivered  a  discourse  in 
the  dwelling-house  of  widow  Spear. 

1  found  the  organization  that.our  friends  had  affected  in  that 
country  to  consist  merely  of  what  we  ordinarily  denomi- 
nate a  society  ;  but  embracing  in  its  territorial  limits  the  whole 
county  of  Ontario,  which,  since  that  time,  I  believe  has  been 
divided  into  two,  three,  or  more  counties  ;  and  they  appointed 
one  or  more  trustees  in  each  town  where  congregations  had 
been  collected.  And  these  annual  meetings  ;  which  were  uni- 
formly held  two  days,  were,  in  addition  to  their  exercises  of 
social  worship,  for  the  purpose  of  appointing  trustees  and  other 
officers,  and  transacting  the  necessary  prudential  business  of 
the  society.  They  generally  collected  together  on  Saturday, 
or  within  such  a  distance  that  they  could  assemble  at  an  early 
hour  the  next  morning  ;  attended  religious  service  on  Sunday, 
and  transacted  their  society  business  on  Monday.  None  of  the 
preachers,  or  those  who  improved  in  public,  reached  the  place 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  241 

where  I  was  on  Saturday  ;  but  when  I  reached  the  house  where 
the  meeting  was  appointed  on  Sunday,  which  was  a  school- 
house,  nearly  a  mile  distant,  I  found  four ;  Mr.  Billinghurst, 
Mr.  Upson,  Mr.  Ross,  and  Mr.  Moore.  It  was  soon  ascertained 
that  the  school-house  would  not  hold  a  tithe  of  the  people  as- 
sembled and  assembling,  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  seek 
some  other  place,  and  make  the  best  preparations  they  could 
for  the  time  being.  The  best  accommodation  they  could  find, 
however,  was  a  little  eminence  in  a  forest  close  at  hand,  to 
which,  by  carrying  the  loose  benches  in  the  school-house,  and 
collecting  what  chairs  they  could  find  in  wagons,  together 
with  the  help  of  the  trunks  of  some  fallen  trees,  they  made 
passable  seals  for  a  portion  of  the  congregation  ;  while  the  rest 
had  to  stand,  sit,  or  lie  on  the  ground,  as  it  best  suited  them  ; 
and  for  a  pulpit,  they  drew  a  wagon  into  the  center  of  the 
place  designed  to  be  occupied,  on  the  most  elevated  part  of  the 
knoll. 

I  was  formally  introduced  to  the  public  speakers  by  my  kind 
friend,  Elder  P.,  who  appeared  familiarly  acquainted  with 
them  all ;  and  by  them  was  told  that  I  must  occupy  the  whole 
day  ;  that  being  a  stranger,  and  my  intended  visit  having  been 
announced  through  all  the  ramifications  of  their  society,  had 
brought  together  an  unprecedented  concourse  of  people  ;  and 
they  would  be  only  satisfied  by  having,  at  least,  two  discourses 
from  me  that  day.  It  was  ill  vain  that  I  urged  them  to  afibrd 
me  some  help  ;  if  they  would  not  preach,  to  assist  me,  at  least, 
in  some  other  parts  of  the  exercise.  It  was  in  vain  that  I  ex- 
postulated with  them  on  the  severity  of  the  task  they  required  of 
me,  after  the  fatigues  of  a  long  journey,  and  preaching  nearly 
every  day,  and  now,  in  the  open  air,  to  address  a  congregation 
so  large  that  it  would  require  the  utmost  efibrt  of  my  lungs  to 
make  them  hear  me.  I  could  not  get  a  single  individual  into 
my  pulpit,  nor  a  mouth  opened,  nor  a  tongue  loosed  to  assist 
me.  I  therefore  mounted  the  wagon — not,  however,  with  such 
feelings  as  a  condemned  criminal  would  mount  the  cart  under 
the  gallows,  for  Heaven  had  inspired  me  with  a  courage,  and  a 
zeal,  for  the  occasion.  I  looked  around  for  my  auditory,  for 
they  were  on  all  sides  of  me  ;  and  almost  as  far  as  I  could  see 
there  was  as  dense  a  crowd  of  people  as  the  trees  would  admit 
of,  sitting,  standing,  leaning  against  trees,  and  lying  on  the 
ground,  still  as  the  house  of  death,  with  eyes  and  ears  fixed  to 
catch  the  word.  And  there  I  stood  almost  the  whole  of  that 
day,  hallooing  as  loud  as  my  lungs  enabled  me,  for  I  was 
p 


"342  MEMOIRS   OF   THE 

obliged  to  shout  to  enable  the  people  to  hear,  at  such  a  dis- 
tance ;  and  talking  to  them  of  the  Great  Salvation  through  the 
mediation  of  our  Lord  and  Savior  Jesus  Christ — a  blessed  day 
this ! 

At  the  close  of  the  services,  before  the  assembly  was  dis- 
missed, Elder  Parker  came  to  the  wagon  and  requested  me  to 
notify  an  appointment  for  him  at  early  candle-lighting,  at  the 
house  of  a  son-in-law  of  his,  in  the  immediate  neighborhood — 
"  Not,"  he  said,  "  for  a  lecture  ;  but  I  have  some  communica- 
tions that  I  wish  to  make  to  the  people."  The  notice  was  ac- 
cordingly given  out,  and  the  house  was  filled  at  an  early  hour. 
The  Elder  gave  a  pretty  elaborate  history  of  his  Christian  ex- 
perience;  and  indeed,  with  an  avowal  of  his  conversion  to  the 
.  faith  of  the  final  restitution — the  ultimate  purity  and  happiness 
of  the  whole    human  family. 

The  next  day,  the  members  of  the  society  assembled  at  the 
school-house  and  transacted  the  business  of  their  social  com- 
munity ;  and  at  my  suggestion,  they  gave  Elder  James  Par- 
ker a  letter  of  fellowship  and  commendation  as  a  preacher  of 
the  everlasting  Gospel  which  God  preached  to  Abraham,  say- 
ing, "  And  in  thy  seed  shall  all  the  families  of  the  earth  be 
blessed." 

Of  the  four  other  speakers  already  named,  two  of  them, 
Ross  and  Moore,  made  little  or  no  proficiency  in  the  ministry. 
Mr.  Billinghurst  was  already  an  old  man  ;  and  although  he  had 
been,  for  sevei'al  years  after  his  conversion  to  the  faith,  very 
zealously  engaged  in  the  ministry,  he  was  now  becoming  in- 
firm, said  it  injured  his  health  to  preach,  and  in  a  year  or  two 
after  this,  relinquished  it  entirely.  He  was  a  European,  an 
Englishman  by  birth  ;  and  in  England  united  with  the  order 
of  the  general  Baptists,  and  became  a  preacher  among  them. 
He  was  always,  no  doubt,  liberal  in  his  religious  opinions,  for 
he  might  be  so  in  that  denomination,  without  subjecting  him- 
self to  the  ordeal  of  excommunication,  or  even  censure,  as 
several  of  the  most  eminent  and  learned  preachers  of  that  Or- 
der were  avowed  Universalists,  and  boldly  advocated  the  sen- 
timent;  but  Mr.  B.  was  not  a  Universalist  when  he  left  Eng- 
land. He  emigrated  to  America  in  1795,  and  within  the 
course  of  a  few  years  settled  in  the  town  of  Boyle,  now  Pitts- 
ford,  Monroe  county.  But  previous  to  his  settling  in  Boyle,  he 
"told  me,  if  I  mistake  not,  he  became  fully  convinced  of  the 
truth  of  the  doctrine  of  God's  universal,  efficient  grace,  and 
firmly  established  in  the  faith  of  the  final  holiness  and  happi- 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  243 

fiess  of  all  intelligent  beings;  and  he  added,  "  so  overjoyed 
was  my  heart  at  the  discovery  of  this  glorious  truth,  that,  like 
Paul,  I  stopped  not  to  confer  with  flesh  and  blood,  but  imme- 
diately began  to  publish  the  glad  tidings  to  the  world."  Mr. 
Upson  was  a  convert  from  the  Methodists  ;  he  had  been  a  li- 
censed preacher  in  thatdenomination.  He  had  already  received 
a  letter  of  fellowship  from  that  society,  and  subsequently  re- 
ceived  similar  testimonials  from  the  "  Western  Association  of 
Universalists  in  the  State  of  New  York  ;''  and  he  continued 
for  a  number  of  years  to  preach  the  doctrine  to  some  effect, 
and  remained  firm  in  the  faith,  I  believe,  until  the  day  of  his 
death.  I  was  also  informed  that  there  had  been  a  preacher 
among  them  of  very  respectable  talents,  by  the  name  of  Badger, 
a  convert  from  the  Presbyterian,  or  rather  Congregational  de- 
nomination, and  a  clergyman  of  that  order,  who,  some  years 
before  came  from  Massachusetts ;  and  whose  labors  had  done 
much  for  the  planting  of  the  cause  in  that  country.  The 
memory  of  this  man  was  held  very  dear  by  Universalists  gen- 
erally ;  but  he  had  "finished  his  course"  a  short  time  be- 
fore this,  not  to  exceed  a  year,  I  think,  and  gone  to  receive 
his  "  crown  of  righteousness,  which  ihe  Lord  hath  laid  up  for  all 
who  love  his  appearing  and  kingdom,"  All  these  had  labored 
with  more  or  less  zeal  and  success,  amid  other  avocations,  and 
succeeded  in  effecting  such  organization  as  I  have  before 
named.  But  Mr.  Billinghurst  and  Mr.  Badger  were,  by  far, 
the  most  able  and  efficient  laborers  in  this  section  of  the  Re- 
deemer's vineyard.  I  gave  then,  at  this  meeting,  a  circum- 
stantial account  of  the  planting  of  the  doctmne  in  Central  New 
York — of  its  establishment  and  progress  ;  of  the  organization 
of  the  Western  Association,  and  its  union  with  the  General 
Convention  in  New  England ;  and  cordially  invited  them  to 
unite  with  the  Western  Association  for  mutual  strength  and 
encouragement  in  our  endeavors  to  extend  the  kfiowledge  of 
the  great  truth  we  were  publishing  to  the  world.  They  lis- 
tened with  much  gratification  to  the  account  I  gave  them;  for 
they  scarcely  knew  that  there  was  another  body  of  Univer- 
salists, as  numerous  as  themselves,  consthuted  in  the  wide 
world,  and  thereupon  passed  a  resolution  to  appoint  a  delegate 
to  attend  our  association,  with  instructions  to  ask  the  fellow, 
ship  of  that  body  ;  and  Elder  Parker  was  chosen.  But  for 
some  reason,  probably  on  account  of  the  remote  place  of  its 
meeting,  he  did  not  attend  the  next  session  ;  but  the  year  fol- 
lowing, he,  in  company  with  Mr.  Knapp,  who  had  then  settled 


244  MEMOIRS   OF   THE 

in  the  county  of  Ontario,  attended  the  Association  in  New 
Hartford.  Their  petition  was  then  laid  before  the  council  ; 
and  the  "  First  society  of  Universalists  in  the  county  of  On- 
tario'" was  received  into  fellowship, and  from  thenceforth  became 
a  flourishing  branch  of  this  spreading  vine. 

From  the  meeting  in  Gorham  I  went  home  with  Mr.  Billing- 
hurst  and  his  company,  for  many  came  down  with  him  to  "  this 
feast;"  and  here  I  found  a  settlement,  almost  exclusively  of 
English  people,  consisting  of  forty,  fifty,  or  more  families  com- 
pactly situated  ;  and  a  more  intelligent,  pleasant,  and  harmo- 
nious neighborhood,  I  never  found.  Mr.  Billinghurst's  settle- 
ment in  this  place  while  it  was  entirely  new,  almost  a  wilder- 
ness, constituted  a  nucleus  around  which  they  naturally  gath- 
ered as  they  emigrated,  one  after  another,  from  the  mother 
country.  And  whether  they  were  Universalists  or  not  when 
they  came,  their  national  attachment,  and  the  confidence  they 
reposed  in  Mr.  Billinghurst,  induced  them  to  attend  his  meet- 
ings ;  and  at  the  time  I  visited  them,  there  was  scarcely  an  ex- 
ception to  their  unity  of  faith  in  the  Great  Salvation.  It  was 
most  refreshing  and  exhilarating  to  preach  among  them,  to  wit- 
ness their  profound  and  devout  attention,  and  the  manifest  ef- 
fect the  word  was  exerting  upon  their  feelings.  Oh,  how  wide- 
ly difibrent  are  the  feelings  of  the  preacher  under  such  circum- 
stances ;  when  every  -word  seems  to  take  effect,  to  carry  con- 
viction to  the  understanding,  and  sensibility  to  the  heart ;  from 
what  they  are  when  addressing  a  congregation  who  manifest  no 
interest  in  the  doctrine  advocated  ;  who  n^icrely  look  at  outward 
appearances,  and  only  listen  to  his  words  as  they  would  to  a  sun- 
set songster,  or  a  farce  acted  upon  the  stage  ;  when  his  words 
bound  back  upon  himself  like  a  ball  thrown  against  a  rock, 
which  constitutes  as  great  a  restraint  upon  his  feelings,  and  al- 
most as  effectually  forbids  the  expansion  of  his  ideas,  and  flow 
of  utterance,  as  though  he  were  addressing  a  yard  of  cabbage 
heads. 

They  were  a  people,  too,  who  practiced  the  least  duplicity  of 
any  that  f  ever  associated  with.  If  they  discovered  a  fault 
in  you,  they  were  sure  to  tell  you  of  it,  and  to  do  it  in  an  af- 
fectionate and  kind  way  ;  and  they  were  equally  as  sure  to  tell 
you  of  your  virtues,  if  you  possessed  any,  and  how  well  they 
liked  you,  without  the  least  reserve. 

I  delivered  several  discourses  in  this  settlement,  with  un- 
bounded satisfaction  to  myself;  and  I  never  felt  myself  more 
at  home  in  any  society  of  people  I  ever  associated  with.     The 


LIFE   OF   REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  '     245 

females  as  well  as  the  stronger  sex  were  uniformly  in  the  faith, 
and  Mrs.  Billinghurst  in  particular.  She  was  in  advance  of  her 
husband,  having  embraced  the  doctrine  of  Universalism  before 
she  left  England — Heaven  made  her  constitutionally  a  Univer- 
salist.  The  dogma  of  endless  misery  never  for  a  moment  found 
a  resting-place  in  her  capacious  soul ;  she  was  a  devout  wor- 
shiper, a  practical  Christian,  and  one  of  the  most  intelligent  and 
worthy  women  I  ever  found  in  all  my  extensive  travels. 

I  remained  seventeen  days  in  the  county  of  Ontario  ;  and  in 
the  course  of  that  time  delivered  twenty-one  discourses  in  eleven, 
townships,  as  follows :  Benton,  Gorham,  Boyle,  Perrinton, 
Penfield,  Westown,  Bloomfield,  Seneca,  Middlesex,  Canandai- 
gua,  and  Phelps.  And  by  their  earnest  solicitation,  I  made  them 
another  visit  of  two  weeks,  the  winter  following,  and  delivered 
sixteen  discourses,  preaching  in  most  of  the  places  where  I  had 
held  meetings  on  my  former  tour,  and  extending  my  ride  this 
time  as  far  as  Honeoye  Lake. 

On  my  return  home  from  the  Genesee  country,  in  the  fall  of 
1811,  after  crossing  the  Cayuga  Lake  where  the  upper  bridge 
now  stands,  I  traveled  up,  on  the  east  side  of  the  lake,  to 
Ithica,  at  the  head  of  the  lake,  and  from  thence  to  the  town  of 
Spencer,  now  Danby,  to  make  Dr.  Beers  a  promised  visit.  In 
this  region  I  remained  several  days,  and  delivered  a  number  of 
discourses  in  the  vicinity,  and  at  the  house  of  Dr.  Beers  ;  I  then 
returned  home  through  the  town  of  Homer,  where  I  also  deliv- 
ered an^evening  lecture.  I  had  been  from  home  twenty-nine 
days,  had  traveled  four  or  five  hundred  miles,  and  delivered 
twenty-five  discourses. 

For  about  four  years  after  my  removal  into  the  town  of 
Hamilton,  the  winter  season  was  employed  in  teaching  school. 
To  this  course  I  was  driven  to  provide  the  necessaries  for  an 
increasing  family  ;  but  this,  however,  did  not  prevent  me  from 
preaching  on  the  Sabbath,  and  I  frequently  delivered  lectures 
on  week-day  evenings.  After  this  lapse  of  time  my  little  farm 
became  more  productive,  affording  me  greater  rewards  for  my 
labor ;  and  calls  for  preaching  becoming  more  extensive,  requir- 
ing a  much  wider  extent  of  itinerancy,  I  relinquished  the  pro- 
fession of  pedagogue  entirely  ;  and,  from  henceforth  depended, 
under  the  never-failing  care  of  a  gracious  Providence,  upon 
the  productions  of  my  little  farm,  under  the  culture  of  my  own 
hands,  and  the  pittance  I  received  for  my  ministerial  labors,  for 
our  support.  And  although  I  never  accumulated  wealth,  my 
family  never  knew  what  it  was  to  do  without  iread,  nor  did  they 
ever  suffer  for  the  absolute  necessaries  of  life. 


CHAPTEE  XL 


Association  in  1812 — Mr.  Miles — Dr.  Ellis— Mr.  L.  Knapp — Long  tour  througli ; 
Canisteo  and  Genesee — Pleasant  Incident — Meetings  in  LeRoy  and  Batavia —  I 
Genesee  Falls — Funeral  at  the  landing — Hard  day's  ride — Mr.  Shemaan's  or- ' 
dination — Association  in  1813— Mr.  James  Gowdy — Mr.  Seth  Jones — Mr.  S.  1 
R.  Smith — Association  in  1814 — Meeting-house  refused^Meet  in  a  Bam—  i 
The  effects  of  the  refusal — Dr.  Green — INIr.  Pitts— Genesee  branch — Chap- 
lain in  the  Militia— Amusing  anecdote — Campaign  in  the  service — Sackett's : 
Harbor— Immoralizing  effects  of  a  militaiy  campaign — ^Visit  to  Ellisburgh 
— Close  of  camjTaign,  and  return — Association  m  1815 — Mr.  Root — 'Mr.  Un- 
derwood ;  admission  into  comiection — Mr.  Whitnal — Mr.  Cook— Theologi- ', 
cal  Seminar}' — First  session  of  Genesee  branch — First  Universalist  meeting  in 
Auburn — Severe  fit  of  sickness — Sectarian  slander — ^Visit  to  Mr.  Person, 
Greenfield — Ague  and  fever — Association  in  1815 — Cold  season — Journey  to 
Sea-coast — Clam-bake — Capt.  Martin — Sail  on  the  bay  at  New  Bedford—- 
Lecture  at  the  head  of  the  River — Rochester — Deacon  Foster— A  rehgious' 
maniac— Visit  to  Newport,  Rhode  Island — Lecture  in  the  State  House — Elder ; 
Green — Meeting  in  Dana — Return  home . 

i 

We  met  in  annual  Association  in  1812,  in  the  town  of  Du- ' 
anesburg.  Mr.  Stephen  Miles,  who  has  long  been  known  as  aj 
worthy  member  of  our  denomination,  and  a  devoted  and  faithfull 
laborer  in  the  ministry,  accompanied  me  to  the  meeting.  He| 
was  a  resident  of  Augusta,  and  had  been  a  member  of  Elder 
Morton's  church,  (the  same  Elder  M.  who  has  already  received: 
so  much  attention  in  these  memoirs,)  and  was  a  recent  convert^ 
from  the  Baptists.  I  had  become  acquainted  with  him  ;  and  he  ■ 
freely  expressed  to  me  his  strong  desire  to  preach  the  Gospel,  i 
and  that  he  had  an  unconqueraljle  presentiment  that  it  was  his  | 
imperative  duty  to  devote  his  life  to  it ;  and  I  invited  him  to  at- '. 
tend  the  Association  and  become  acquainted  with  the  minister- 1 
ing  brethren.  From  this  time,  so  great  was  his  ardor  for  the  \ 
cause,  and  his  indeflitigable  zeal  and  industry,  that,  notwith- ! 
standing  he  had  a  large  family  on  his  hands  for  a  young  man,  i 
and  had  no  other  means  for  their  support  than  the  daily  labor  of^ 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  247 

his  own  hands,  he  surmounted  all  these  difficulties ;  and  in  less 
than  a*year  from  that  time  launched  forth  as  a  laborer  in  the 
vineyard  of  the  great  Husbandman,  to  which  he  has  faithfully 
devoted  his  life  up  to  the  present  moment. 

We  were  now  apparently  and  indeed  really,  gaining  strength 
every  year,  in  our  ministerial  connection,  as  well  as  receiving 
new  societies  into  the  fellowship  of  our  Association.  Although 
Mr.  Dean  did  not  meet  with  us  on  this  occasion,  having  gone  a 
journey  to  Vermont,  yet  two  other  preachers,  who  had  never  be- 
fore met  with  the  Association,  were  present ;  and  also  the  same 
individual  from  the  C4eneral  Convention  who  came  as  a  delegate 
the  preceding  year.  Dr.  J.  H.  Ellis,  one  of  the -preachers  al- 
luded to  above,  was  an  Irishm.an  by  birth,  and  a  convert  from 
the  Baptist  denomination.  We  had  learned  by  the  published 
proceedings  of  the  "Northern  Association,"  in  Vermont,  that  he 
had  received  the  fellowship  of  that  body,  and  this  was  all  the 
knowledge  we  had  of  him  until  he  met  with  us  at  this  time.  A 
few  months  previous  to  the  meeting  of  this  Association,  he  had 
removed  to  the  town  of  Duanesburg,  and  was  supplying  the  so- 
ciety at 'that  place;  we  therefore  cordially  greeted  him  as  a 
member  of  the  council,  and  congratulated  ourselves  on  the  ac- 
quisition of  an  able  and  worthy  member.  But,  alas !  he  was 
of  no  advantage  to  the  cause  of  truth.  For,  besides  being  one 
of  the  most  singular,  eccentric  characters  on  the  stage  of  action, 
which  essentially  injured  his  public  usefulness,  and  a  most  dis- 
gusting pedant,  he  was  at  that  very  time,  though  unknown  to  us, 
under  admonition  by  the  "Northern  Association"  for  gross  im- 
moral conduct,  which  resulted  in  his  expulsion  from  that  body  the 
next  year  ;  and,  consequently,  although  he  continued  to  preach, 
in  his  way  for  many  years  afterwards,  yet  he  never  sat  as  a 
member  of  our  council,  nor  was  he  ever  recognized  as  a  Uni- 
versalist  preacher.  Mr.  Liscomb  Knapp,  the  other  individual 
to  whom  I  have  alluded,  was  a  young  man ;  he  came  from  Ver- 
mont, had  preached  some  in  that  State,  and  received  a  letter  from 
the  "Northern  Association;"  and  after  Mr.  Dean's  removal  to 
New  Hartford,  he  came  to  that  place  for  the  purpose  of  study- 
ing with  him.  This  was  the  first  time  he  met  with  our  Associ- 
ation, and  he  was  a  valuable  acquisition  to  our  little  band.  He 
was  a  man  of  very  good  talents,  of  becoming  zeal,  and  his  daily 
life  and  conversation  were  a  practical  comment  upon  the  supe- 
rior  excellency  of  the  doctrine  he  inculcated.  He  cheerfully 
devoted  his  life  of  more  than  ordinary  duration  to  its  service, 
through  many  trials  and  severe  labors,  without  faltering,  and  died 
rejoicing  in  the  faith. 


248  MEMOIRS   OF   THE 

It  was  during  this  year,  if  I  mistake  not,  that  Mr.  Underwood^ 
whom  1  have  before  had  occasion  to  name,  came  out  iftto  the 
open  profession  of  his  faith  in  the  final  Restitution  ;  but  although 
he  did  not  hesitate  to  own  and  to  defend  it,  both  in  private  con- 
versation  and  in  his  public  discourses,  still  he  did  not  see  fit  im^ 
mediately  to  unite  with  the  Association. 

In  the  fore  part  of  this  season,  soon  after  the  meeting  of  the 
Association,  Mr.  Knapp  made  me  a  visit.  And,  knowing  the 
extreme  solicitation  of  the  brethren  in  Ontario  county  to  have 
an  active  and  efficient  preacher  of  Universalism  settle  among- 
them,  (for  they  had  most  earnestly  urged  me  to  do  so,  and  once 
addressed  a  very  pathetic  letter  to  the  society  in  Hamilton,  re- 
questing them  to  assent  to  it,)  I  proposed  to  Mr.  Knapp  to  take 
a  tour  through  that  country,  to  see  if  he  would  not  like  the  loca- 
tion,  and  find  an  encouraging  field  of  labor.  To  facilitate  this 
object,  I  offered,  on  condition  he  would  supply  my  place  in  Ham- 
ilton and  vicinity,  to  take  a  tour  as  a  pioneer,  and  leave  appoint- 
ments for  him — a  schedule  of  v.'hich  I  would  hand  him  on  my 
return.  On  mature  reflection  he  consented  to  do  so.  I  imme- 
diately wrote  to  friends  through  all  that  region  of  country,  and 
made  arrangements  for  a  more  extensive  tour  than  I  had  hitherto 
taken.  In  this  way,  I  made  appointments  in  all  the  principal 
places  I  had  heretofore  visited,  leaving  intervals,  however,  to  be 
filled  up  casually  on  my  way  ;  made  my  calculations  for  the 
length  of  time  I  should  be  absent,  told  my  family  the  day  they 
might  look  for  my  return,  Providence  permitting ;  and  on  the 
last  day  of  July  I  left  home  on  my  devious  journey.  On  this 
tour,  I  pursued  a  different  route  from  what  I  had  formerly  pur- 
sued, traveling  through  Homer,  Virgil,  and  Dryden  to  the  resi- 
dence of  Dr.  Beers,  in  Spencer,  (Danby,)  where  I  remained 
one  day  to  talk  to  the  people.  From  thence  I  journeyed  through 
Ithica,  at  the  head  of  Cayuga  Lake ;  Catharine's,  at  the  head  of 
the  Seneca,  to  the  town  of  Benton,  where  I  again  made  a  stop 
for  a  single  day.  From  thence,  passing  through  Gorham,  Man- 
chester, and  Victor,  I  arrived  at  Boyle,  (Pittsford,)  where  I  made 
another  short  pause.  From  Pittsford,  I  returned  through  Can- 
andaigua  to  Benton,  where  Elder  Parker  joined  me,  and  accom- 
panied me  up  to  Crooked  Lake  and  through  Bath  to  the  residence 
of  Mr.  Upson",  in  the  tov/n  of  Canisteo. 

Quite  a  pleasant  incident  occurred  as  we  were  traveling  near 
the  margin  of  Crooked  Lake.  The  country  was  very  little  cuL 
tivated,  the  land  hard  and  rocky,  principally  timbered  with 
oak,  and  densely  covered  with  fern^  or  whortleberry  bushes ; 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  249 

the  inhabitants  were  sparely  scattered  along  the  road,  with  small 
improvements  and  log  houses.  It  was  a  little  past  the  middle  of 
the  day,  and  the  meridian  sun  beat  down  with  unwelcome  rays 
upon  our  heads  ;  we  had  talked  ourselves  weary,  and  were  jog- 
ging lazily  along  between  sleeping  and  waking,when  two  women 
appeared  in  sight  at  a  considerable  distance  before  us,  tripping 
along  with  their  utmost  speed  the  same  course  we  were  pursu- 
ing. My  first  impression  was,  that  they  were  on  a  whortleberry 
excursion,  and  so  spoke  to  Br.  P.;. but,  on  nearing  them,  I  dis- 
covered they  were  dressed  in  their  holiday  suit ;  and  then  re- 
marked to  Br.  P.,  "  These  women  are  not  after  berries — I  ap- 
prehend there  must  be  a  meeting  of  some  sort  ahead."  We 
soon  overtook  them,  and  I  inquired  the  cause  of  their  haste. 
They  replied,  "  There  is  a  meeting  to  be  held  at  the  next  house, 
and  we  are  fearful  of  being  too  late."  "  What  kind  of  meeting, 
madam  ?"  "  Preaching."  "  By  whom  ?"  "  A  Methodist  cir- 
cuit preacher."  After  we  had  passed  them  a  few  yards,  I  said 
to  Br.  P.,  "  We  have  rode  some  distance,  and  it  will  do  our 
horses  no  injury  to  breathe  a  few  minutes;  and,  as  we  are  en- 
tire  strangers,  we  may  perhaps  enjoy  the  privilege  of  a  meeting 
without  being  abused,  or  having  our  feelings  wounded  by  a  ma- 
lignant attack  upon  our  sentiments.  What  if  we  should  stop 
long  enough  to  hear  the  discourse."  The  proposition  was  ac- 
cepted ;  and,  by  the  time  we  had  made  our  arrangements,  we 
came  in  sight  of  the  house.  A  few  people  were  standing  in 
front  of  the  house ;  we  rode  up  to  the  fence,  dismounted,  tied 
our  horses,  and  joined  the  company  ;  but,  alas  !  we  were  be- 
trayed ;  for  as  soon  as  we  reached  the  place  where  the  men 
were  standing,  one  of  them  called  the  Elder  by  name.  We  told 
the  man  that  we  were  on  a  journey,  and  having  just  been  in- 
formed that  there  was  a  meeting  to  be  holden  in  that  house,  we 
concluded  it  would  do  our  horses  no  injury  to  rest  a  little,  and 
as  it  might  do  us'  some  good  to  hear  preaching,  we  would  stop 
long  enough  to  hear  the  sermon.  The  man  looked  pleased,  po- 
litely invited  us  into  the  house,  and  furnished  us  with  seats.  I 
looked  around  for  the  preacher,  but  saw  no  person  I  felt  willing 
to  recognize  as -such;  and,  in  answer  to  my  inquiry,  was  in- 
formed that  he  had  arrived,  and  would  be  in  soon,  for  it  was 
about  time  to  commence  service.  The  building  was  constructed 
of  unhewn  logs,  consisting  of  a  single  room,  not  very  capa- 
cious, and  it  was  soon  very  well  filled.  In  a  short  time  a  young 
man  entered,  came  directly  to  Elder  P.  and  myself,  and,  with  a 
smile,  cordially  gave  us  his  hand,  and  took  his  seat  by  a  stand 


250    ■  MEMOIRS   OF   THE 

on  which  a  Bible  and  hymn-book  had  already  been  placed.  He 
had  no  doubt  been  informed  who  we  were,  although  no  formal 
introduction  had  been  given.  .  He  soon  arose,  opened  his  meet- 
ing by  their  usual  ceremonies,  and  took  for  a  text  the  words  of 
Pharaoh,  when  the  people  came  to  him  in  the  time  of  the  seven 
years  of  famine,  crying  for  bread  ;  "  Go  unto  Joseph."  He  un- 
dertook to  show  the  analogy  between  Joseph  and  Christ,  and  suc- 
ceeded to  some  extent,  though  he  made  some  trifling  mistakes  ; 
(me  of  which  was,  that  "  Joseph  was  a  keeper  of  his  father's 
flocks,  and  Jacob  sent  his  sons  to  find  him,"  &c.  However,  we 
got  along  with  this  well  enough,  and  so  did  he,  for  he  did  not 
discover  his  error.  But,  although  he  displayed  no  great  talent 
in  sermonizing,  he  exhibited  that  which  was  far  better,  great 
charity,  and  no  disposition  to  misrepresent  and  abuse  the  opinions 
of  others.  He  was  also  very  brief,  occupying  probably  not  more 
than  twenty  or  twenty  five  minutes  in  his  sermon ;  and  closed 
his  discourse  by  saying,  "  A  few  words  spoken  by  a  bungler  is 
certainly  better  than  a  great  many,  without  any  meaning."  He 
tlien  looked  at  Elder  P.,  and  asked  him  if  he  had  any  remarks 
to  make.  The  Elder  seemed  to  feel  rather  dull,  and  he  replied 
that  he  had  not.  He  then  asked  me  the  same  question.  And 
I  answered  in  the  aflirmative,  and  arose  on  my  feet.  Although  I 
had  not  been  highly  captivated  A\itli  the  eloquence  of  the  speaker, 
yet  I  had  been  extremely  gratified  with  the  privilege,  once  in 
my  life,  of  hearing  a  discourse  from  a  Partialist  without  beino- 
abused — had  been  pleased  beyond  measure,  and  my  feelings 
warmed  up  almost  to  a  boiling  point,  by  his  charitable"  lano-uao-e 
and  demeanor.  The  Elder  cast  at  me  rather  a  repulsive  look, 
but  I  heeded  it  not.  I  proceeded,  and  gave  an  exhortation  in 
conformity  to  the  doctrine  the  young  man  had  designed  to  ad- 
vance. I  had  not  spoken  five  minutes,  when  the  preacher  clap- 
ped his  hands  Mith  all  his  might,  and  shouted  aloud,"  Amen." 
He  had  now  set  them  an  example,  and  it  was  instantly  followed 
by  almost  the  whole  congregation  ;  and,  for  a  moment,  I  was 
nearly  stunned  by  the  noise,  and  actually  embarrassed.  I  was 
not  accustomed  to  such  acclamations ;  and  it  came,  too,  totally 
unexpected.  I  however  soon  recovered,  and  finished  my  ex- 
hortation, amid  loud  shouts  of  "Glory  to  God,"  and  "Amen," 
from  every  part  of  the  room,  the  preacher  being  sure  to  raise 
his  voice  the  highest.  When  I  had  resumed  my  seat,  he  asked 
me  to  close  the  meeting  by  prayer ;  I  did  so,  and  the  deafening 
peals  of  shouting  were  kept  up,  or,  if  possible,  increased  until 
the  closing  "  Amen."     The  young  man  seemed  animated  be. 


LIFE   OF    REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  25l 

yond  measure ;  and  the  complacent  smile  that  lighted  up  the 
countenances  of  the  congregation,  was  an  unmistakeable  evi- 
dence of  the  happiness  they  felt.  The  young  man  had  said  not 
a  word  about  the  wrath  of  an  offended  God,  hell,  or  future  mis- 
ery. He  had  endeavored  to  portray,  as  well  as  he  could,  the 
benignity  of  the  divine  character — his  care  for  mankind,  even 
while  alienated  from  him  by  wicked  works,  in  the  ample  provi- 
sion he  had  made  for  every  soul ;  and  to  direct  the  attention  to 
the  medium  he  had  prepared,  by  which  they  could  come  and 
obtain  it ;  and  all  I  had  to  do  was,  to  illustrate,  commend,  and 
enforce  his  arguments.  At  the  close,  the  preacher,  and  many 
of  the  congregation,  gave  us  their  hands  most  warmly  and  affec- 
tionately, and  we  separated  happier  than  when  we  met;  and  the 
Elder  and  I  "  Went  on  our  way  rejoicing."  It  was  peculiarly 
consoling  to  me,  amid  the  trials  and  conflicts  I  was  destined  al- 
most every  day  to  encounter,  to  have,  once  in  a  while,  such  an 
unexpected  season  of  refreshing — it  enabled  me  to  "  Thank  God, 
and  take  courage." 

At  Canisteo,  Elder  P.  left  me,  and  returned  back  ;  and  I  had 
to  perform  the  remainder  of  my  journey  alone.  I  remained  a 
few  days  with  Mr.  Upson,  and  delivered  several  discourses  in 
different  parts  of  the  town  of  Canisteo,  when  I  resumed  my  tour. 
Crossing  the  Allegany  ridge,  I  struck  the  head  waters  of  a  creek, 
called,  I  believe,  Conhocton,  and  following  its  course  reached 
Dansville,  thence  north  to  Geneseo,  thence  down  the  Genesee 
river  to  Avon,  there  crossed  the  river,  and  continued  my  travels 
west  as  far  as-Batavia,  stopping  at  Le  Roy.  Mr.  Billinghurst 
had  written  to  a  friend  in  Le  Roy,  notifying  him  of  my  intended 
visit,  and  the  time  I  might  be  expected  there.  1  called  at  Gan- 
son's  tavern  ;  and,  on  entering  the  house  and  inquiring  for  Mr. 
Ganson,  an  old  gentleman,  sitting  alone  in  the  bar-room,  looked 
at  me  and  said,  "If  you  are  the  man  I  expect  you  are,  I  was 
once  acquainted  with  your  father."  I  replied,  "  My  name  is 
Stacy."  "  Ah  !  "  said  he,  "  the  very  same,"  and  he  caught  me 
in  his  arms,  and  hugged  me  as  he  would  a  baby.  He  was  a 
native  of  New  Salem,  Massachusetts,  and,  in  his  younger  days, 
well  acquainted  with  my  father's  family.  I  preached  in  LeRoy 
one  Sabbath,  and  delivered  several  lectures  ;  and  was  accompa- 
nied to  Batavia  by  a  number  of  the  friends  in  that  place,  where 
I  delivered  one  discourse  in  the  Court-house.  On  my  return,  I 
delivered  another  discourse  in  LeRoy,  and  solemnized  a  mar- 
riage ;  and  then  returned  through  Avon,  Bloomfield,  and  Men- 
don,  to  Pittsford,  where  I  again  tarried  a  few  days,  and  deliv- 
ered several  discourses. 


252  MEMOIRS   OF    THE 

On  this  tour,  I  saw  the  Genesee  Falls,  for  the  first  time.  It 
was  a  jaunt  of  about  eight  miles  from  Mr.  Billinghurst's,  which 
he  and  another  friend  by  the  name  of  Sawens  and  myself  per- 
formed  on  a  leisure  day,  merely  to  view  this  stupendous  cascade, 
although  such  days  very  seldom  occurred  with  me,  at  that  pe- 
riod of  my  life  and  labor.  At  that  time,  where  the  city  of  Pvo- 
Chester  now  presents  its  splendid  and  richly  ornamented  struc- 
tures,  its  well-paved  streets,  its  crowded  marts,  its  numerous 
houses  of  worship,  with  their  gilded  spires  glittering  in  the  sun- 
beams, and  its  population  of  more  than  thirty  thousand,  there 
was,  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  only  a  small  tavern-house,  a 
miniature  store,  and  not  more  than  one  or  two  other  buildings. 
At  this  tavern,  we  obtained  refreshment  for  ourselves  and  horses  ; 
and,  while  it  was  being  prepared  for  us,  we  took  our  ramble  to 
the  Falls,  in  doing  which  we  were  compelled  to  clamber  over 
fallen  trees,  crawl  through  briars  and  tangled  underbrush,  and 
bruise  our  limbs  by  coming  in  contact  with  unseen  rocks  ;  but,  al- 
though somewhat  scratched  and  bruised,  we  were  amply  com- 
pensated, by  beholding  this  mighty  sheet  of  water  take  its  awful 
leap  of  nearly  one  hundred  feet,  far  below  the  common  level  of 
the  surrounding  country,  into  a  deep  channel  excavated  by  its 
orwn  power  through  a  bed  of  limestone  for  more  than  three  miles, 
running  smoothly  along  in  a  surpentine  course  until  it  passed 
beyond  our  vision.  Soon  after  our  return  to  the  tavern,  which 
stood  a  little  west  of  the  bridge,  a  messenger  called  in  pursuit 
of  Mr.  B.  to  preach  a  funeral  discourse  on  the  death  of  a  child, 
at  what  they  called  the  Landing,  three  miles  below.  I  felt  much 
gratified  on  account  of  their  application  to  him,  thinking  by  this 
providential  occurrence  I  should  enjoy  the  pleasure  of  hearing 
a  sermon  from  him,  which  I  had  never  experienced.  But,  alas  ! 
I  was  doomed  to  disappointment;  he  refused,  and  referred 
the  messenger  to  me ;  and,  in  despite  of  all  my  remonstrances 
and  efforts  to  avoid  it,  "  The  lot  fell  on  Jonah,"  and  I  was  com- 
pelled,  on  this  solitary  day  of  leisure,  to  ride  some  three  miles 
farther,  making  my  ride  in  the  course  of  the  day  nearly  twenty 
five  miles,  and  the  labor  of  preaching.  The  unexpected  addi- 
tional ride,  together  with  the  funeral  services,  made  the  day  fa- 
tiguing, and  brought  nightfall  some  time  before  we  reached  the' 
hospitable  dwelling  of  my  attendant  host. 

Discourses  were  delivered  on  this  tour  in  most  places  I  had 
previously  visited  in  the  western  country,  besides  the  additional 
places  I  have  already  enumerated  ;  and  in  most  of  them  I  left 
appointments  for  Mr.  Knapp.     The  last  meeting  was  holden  in 


LIFE    OF   REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  253 

the  Court-house  in  Canandaigua,  which  left  me  but  two  days  to  ^ 
ride  one  hundred  and  ten  miles,  and  reach  home  on  the  appointed 
day.  I  made  a  tolerably  early  start  in  the  morning ;  but  my 
way  for  a  short  distance  lay  through  the  midst  of  acquaintances 
and  friends,  and  the  numerous  salutations  I  received,  and  the  re- 
peated questions  which  pressed  so  hard  upon  me  for  answers, 
retarded  my  progress  so  that  at  noon  I  found  myself  but  ten  miles 
on  my  journey.  After  taking  dinner  with  a  friend,  I  said  to  him 
as  I  seated  myself  on  the  saddle,  "To-morrow  night,  God  will- 
ing,  I  see  my  family."  "You  can't  do  it,"  he  said.  I  replied, 
"  i  shall  '  salute  no  man  by  the  way ' — set  my  face  like  a  flint, 
neither  turning  to  the  right  nor  to  the  left — I  will  recognize  no 
friend  and  battle  no  foe  until  I  see  my  family,  which  I  have 
promised  to  do  to-morrow  night;"  and  I  fulfilled  my  promise. 
That  afternoon  I  traveled  some  miles  beyond  Auburn,  continuing 
my  ride  until  I  had  to  call  a  tavern-keeper  from  his  bed  to  put 
out  my  horse.  The  next  morning  I  again  called  him  from  his 
slumbers  to  get  my  horse  and  receive  his  pay  ;  and  before  I  slept, 
through  the  mercy  of  God,  1  entered  my  own  rustic  dwelling. 
I  had  been  from  home  between  five  and  six  weeks ;  and  in  my 
tour — my  zig-zag  wanderings  through  the  country — I  had  trav- 
eled not  much  short  of  six  hundred  miles,  had  delivered  twenty 
five  or  thirty  discourses,  and  returned  to  my  family  on  the  day 
I  appointed  when  I  left  them.  Heaven  blessed  me  with  good 
health,  with  fine  weather,  and  pleasant  traveling  ;  and  amply 
rewarded  me  for  my  toil  in  a  consciousness  of  having,  accord- 
ing to  the  best  of  my  ability,  discharged  an  important  duty.  I 
gave  Mr.  Knapp  a  schedule  of  the  appointments  I  had  made  for 
him  on  the  circuit,  and  he  immediately  went  to  fulfil  them ;  and 
from  that  time  made  his  residence  in  that  country. 

The  doctrine  of  God's  Universal  Grace  now  began  to  make 
some  greater  progress  in  its  steady,  onward  march  in  this  State, 
and  several  preachers  as  well  as  laymen  came  over  to  its  help 
in  some  degree,  though  rather  cautiously,  who  loved  the  doctrine 
but  feared  the  name  ;  and  among  the  number  a  man  by  the  name 
of  Sherman,  who,  1  believe,  had  been  a  Baptist.  The  Partial- 
ists  had  employed  every  means  in  their  power  to  render  the  name 
of  Universalism  odious ;  and  had  so  succeeded  as,  in  numerous 
instances,  to  almost  prevent  individuals,  after  they  became  thor- 
oughly convinced  of  the  truth  of  the  ultimate  holiness  and  hap- 
piness of  the  whole  human  race,  from  acknowledging  that  they 
were  Universalists.  They  appeared  actually  afraid  of  the  name, 
and  would  try  to  adopt  some  other  in  order  to  shield  them  from 


254  ■      MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

,•  the  odium — would  wrangle  about  it,  and,  as  Pope  says,  act  like 

"  Fools  at  war  about  a  name, 
Wliieh  often  has  xo  meaning,  or  the  same.'"' 

"  Why  do  you  not  call  your  doctrine  by  some  other  name,"  said 
an  old  gentleman  to  me  one  day,  after  he  had  exhausted  his  vo- 
cabulary of  anathemas  against  Universalism  and  Universalists, 
"  Why  don't  you  call  your  doctrine  by  some  other  name — you'd 
have  as  many  again  hearers."  I  replied,  "I  never  gave  it  the 
name ;  but,  whether  given  by  friend  or  foe,  I  like  it  well,  and 
do  not  wish  to  exchange  it,  because  it  is  so  appropriate,  and  so 
definitely  distinguishes  my  denomination  from  all  the  ramifica- 
tions of  the  Partialist  church. 

Mr.  Sherman  was  considerably  troubled  with  timidity.  He 
lirmly  believed  the  doctrine,  loved  it  with  all  his  heart,  and  was 
quite  zealous  in  persuading  others  of  its  truth.  He  established 
a  meeting  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  own  residence,  in  the  town 
of  Manlius,  collected  a  little  band  into  church  organization,  and 
preached  to  them ;  but  never  extended  his  ministerial  labors 
much  beyond  his  vicinity.  His  church  desired  to  enjoy  the 
privilege  of  receiving  the  Christian  ordinances,  and  applied  to 
Mr.  Dean  and  myself  to  confer  ordination  upon  their  pastor. 
We  accordingly  went  there ;  and  finding  a  little  band,  united 
by  the  strong,  ties  of  Christian  brotherhood,  well  established  in 
the  faith  of  the  final  reconciliation  of  all  mankind  to  God  through 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  evidently  "  Adorning  the  doctrine  of  God 
our  Savior  in  all  things,"  and  reposing  the  utmost  confidence  in 
-  their  pastor,  who  truly  appeared  every  v\^ay  worthy  of  their  rev- 
erence and  esteem  ;  who,  although  he  would  prefer  to  be  called 
by  some  other  name,  either  Unitarian,  Restoratiohist,  or  Unita- 
rian-Restorationist  which  pleased  him  rather  the  best,  yet  desirous 
of  receiving  ordination  at  our  hands,  we  solemnly  set  him  apart, 
according  to  our  usual  forms,  to  the  work  of  the  ministry  of 
reconciliation,  and  as  pastor  of  the  church  of  his  own  planting. 
But  he  never  formally  joined  our  Association,  nor  were  his  la- 
bors extensively  useful  to  the  cause  of  Universalism  in  our  re- 
gion of  country. 

At  the  session  of  the  Association  it  1813,  which  was  held  in 
New  Hartford,  several  valuable  accessions  to  the  ministry  were 
received,  besides  the  addition  of  the  first  Universalist  society  in 
the  county  of  Ontario,  with  its  clerical  members.  IMr.  Knapp, 
and  Elder  James  Parker,  were  the  only  delegates  from  that  so- 
ciety, as  it  appearecl  they  had  not  seen  cause  "to  appoint  lay  del- 
egates ;  but   no   delegation   was   received  this  year  from  the 


LIFE    OF   REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  255 

General  Convention  in  New  England.  Letters  of  fellowship 
were  granted  this  year  to  Seth  Jones,  and  James  Gowdy,  both 
converts  from  the  Baptist  clergy,  also  to  Stephen  Miles,  whom  I 
have  had  occasion  to  name,  and  to  S.  R.  Smith,  a  young  man 
who  had  been,  for  a  short  season,  studying  with  Mr.  Dean.  All 
these  were  good  men,  and  valuable  members  of  our  communi- 
ty ;  but  the  labors  of  some  were  far  more  efficient,  in  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  cause,  than  others.  Probably  Mr.  Gowdy's 
ministry  was  more  circumscribed,  and  of  less  celebrity  and  util- 
ity, than  either  of  the  others.  Mr.  Jones,  although  an  illiterate 
man,  (I  think  he  told  me  he  never  went  to  school  but  five  days 
in  his  whole  life)  was,  nevertheless,  one  of  the  most  successful 
itinerant  preachers  our  State  ever  produced  ;  and  for  many 
years  he  traveled  extensively,  and  preached  with  the  zeal  of  a 
Paul,  and  the  eloquence  of  an  Apollos.  I  have  never  seen  a 
crowded  congregation  more  captivated,  more  enamored,  sit  with 
more  ease,  under  the  preaching  of  any  living  man,  than  under 
him,  in  a  discourse  of  two  or  three  hours  long.  But  of  all  the 
preachers  who  received  the  fellowship  of  the  Association  at  this 
session,  or  indeed,  had  ever  received  a  letter  of  fellowship  from 
its  council,  S.  R.  Smith  was,  by  far,  the  most  important  acqui- 
sition. Pie  had  never  belonged  to  any  Partialist  denomination  ; 
his  mind  had  never  been  imbued  nor  soiled  with  the  false  theolo- 
gy of  the  schools.  His  first  religious  breath  was  drawn  in  the 
pure  and  uncontaminated  atmosphere  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ  ; 
where  its  great  and  glorious  doctrines  fell  upon  a  soil  free 
from  thorns  and  noxious  weeds,  and  of  sufficient  strength  to 
bring  forth  "  an  hundred  fold."  He  had  not,  I  believe,  publicly 
addressed  a  congregation  previous  to  that  time  ;  but  so  well 
acquainted  with  him  were  many  of  the  members  of  the  council, 
and  such  confidence  they  had  in  the  correctness  of  his  opinions, 
in  the  strength  of  his  faith,  the  stability  of  his  character,  his  in- 
tegrity, and  moral  worth,  in  his  studious  habits,  his  indefatiga- 
ble zeal,  and  the  expanding  powers  of  his  giant  mind,  that,  un- 
solicited by  him,  a  letter  of  fellowship'was  proffered  to  him  by 
the  unanimous  voice  of  the  council,  which  he  modestly  accepted. 
Time  has  shown  the  correctness  of  their  judgment,  and  how 
fully  their  anticipations,  have  been  realized,  and  more  than  re- 
alized, by  his  extensive  and  valuable  labors.  He  stands  justly, 
and  his  name  ever  will  stand,  upon  the  faithful  page  of  history, 
at  the  head  of  the  Universalist  clergy  in  the  State  of  New 
York.  This  is  not  fulsome  panegyric ;  it  is  the  solemn  con- 
viction of  one  wlio  has  been  intimately  acquainted  with  him 


256  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

from  the  commencement  of  his  ministerial  lahors  up  to  the  pre- 
sent  moment.  And  it  is  said  without  meaning  the  least  dis- 
paragement to  the  numerous  learned,  pious,  and  able  divines 
who  now  grace  tlie  ranks  of  the  Universalist  clergy  in  that  State. 

Our  earnest  and  long-reiterated  prayers  for  more  laborers  in 
the  vineyard  seemed  now  measurably  answered  ;  and  as  an  in- 
creasing  family  demanded  my  utmost  endeavors,  and  most  pru- 
dent and  economical  management  to  meet  their  necessary  calls, 
I  was  obliged  to  curtail  my  peregrinations  as  much  as  possible, 
and  apply  my  han(]s  diligently  to  the  implements  of  husbandry. 
During  this  year,  therefore,  I  traveled  but  little  abroad  :  I  mean 
by  abroad  out  of  the  counties  of  Madison,  Chenango,  Otsego, 
Herkimer,  and  Oneida  ;  but  I  by  no  means  relinquished  preach- 
ing every  Sabbath  ;  and  frequently  attended  evening  meetings 
during  the  fall  and  winter  seasons. 

In  1814,  the  Association  met  in  the  village  of  Sherburne. 
Our  friends,  when  they  applied  for  this  meeting  the  preceding 
year,  had  encouragement  of  obtaining  the  Presbyterian  meet- 
ing-house for  its  accommodation ;  but  when  the  time  arrived, 
bigotry^  prevailed,  and  the  door  was  bolted  against  us.  Our 
friends  were,  therefore,  driven  to  such  an  expedient  as  was  often 
necessary  to  resort  to  in  those  days  of  superstition  and  secta- 
rian  bigotry,  and  prepared  a  barn  very  comfortably  for  our  ac- 
commodation. On  entering  it  for  service,  on  the  morning  of  the 
first  day,  a  manuscript  poem  was  handed  me,  written  for  the 
occasion,  by  an  aged  sister,  Mrs.  Skinner  ;  in  which  she  greeted 
us  with  Christian  aftection,  and  v/elcomed  us  to  the  lam  ;  that, 
although  the  "Inn''  afforded  us  no  room,  it  was  no  disgrace  for 
the  followers  of  Him  who  was  born  in  a  stable,  to  meet  for  his 
worship  in  a  barn.  It  was  read  to  the  congregation  immediate- 
ly before  the  commencement  of  worship,  and  had  a  thrilling 
and  salutary  effect ;  for,  while  it  enstamped  the  blush  of  shame 
upon  the  brow  of  bigotry  and  intolerance,  it  animated  and 
cheered  the  faithful,  and  well  prepared  the  heart  for  spiritual 
worship.  It  was  ordered  by  the  council  to  be  published  with 
tlie  minutes  of  the  proceedings.  It  has  been  published  several 
times  in  our  different  periodicals  ;  and  had  I  a  copy  of  it,  or 
couldl  distinctly  remember  it,  I  would  insert  it  here. 

By  the  good  providence  of  God,  all  the  unhallowed  means 
resorted  to  by  the  enemies  of  truth,  for  the  purpose  of  discom- 
moding^ us,  and  crushing  the  cause  they  dare  not  openly  and 
manfully  oppose,  were  turned  to  our  advantage,  and  served  to 
advance  the  truth  they  designed  to  suppress.     It  was  peculiar- 


LIFE    OF   REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  257 

ly  SO  in  this  case.  Tlieir  meeting-house  stood  unoccupied 
through  the  whole  of  the  session  ;  and  their  conduct  excited  the 
indignation  of  the  non-professor,  and,  indeed,  of  the  liberal  part 
of  their  own  community.  Our  meeting  in  a  barn,  together 
with  the  pathetic  address  of  our  venerable  sister  on  the  occasion, 
excited  their  sympathy,  and  disposed  many  to  attend  and  listen 
to  what  was  said  and  done,  who,  otherwise,  in  all  probability, 
would  have  paid  no  attention  to  the  meeting.  Our  season  was, 
therefore,  a  refreshing  one,  and  brought  additional  numbers  to 
our  ranks. 

Mr.  C.  G.  Person  had,  a  little  previous  to  this,  removed  from 
Vermont  into  the  State  of  New  York  ;  and  settled  with  a  socie- 
ty in  Greenfield,  Saratoga  Co.,  and  for  the  first  time  met  with 
the  Western  Association ;  and  two  others,  Dr.  Archelaus 
Green,  a  convert  from  the  Baptists;  a  worthy  man,  and  an  old 
and  approved  preacher  in  that  order ;  and  Lewis  Pitts,  a  con- 
vert from  the  Methodists,  and  a  licentiate  in  their  ministry,  re- 
ceived letters  of  fellowship.  Dr.  Green  was  a  useful  member, 
and  devoted  the  major  part  of  the  remainder  of  his  long  and 
active  life  to  the  ministry,  as  faithfully  as  he  could,  in  connec- 
tion with  his  professional  avocation  as  a  physician,  and  died  tri- 
umphant in  the  faith.  But  Mr.  Pitts,  although  at  that  time  he 
manifested  great  zeal  and  devotion  to  the  cause,  soon  passed  off 
into  another  hemisphere.  He  was  a  neighbor  to  Doctor  Beers  ; 
and  by  reading  his  books,  and  having  free  personal  intercourse 
with  the  Dr.,  soon  embraced  the  visionary  theory  of  Sweden, 
bourg ;  and  not  pof^essing  much  strength  of  intellect,  nor  hav- 
ing the  leaven  of  Christian  meekness  and  love  that  Dr.  Beers 
possessed,  he  became  cold,  and  indifferent,  soon  abandoned  the 
ministry,  and  left  our  ranks. 

It  has  already  been  observed,  that  the  first  society  of  Univer- 
salists  in  Ontario  county,  in  which  Mr.  Knapp  had  settled,  Avas 
received  into  fellowship.  Mr.  Knapp  had  been  nearly  two 
years  settled  in  that  county,  and  his  labors  were  blessed  in  ex- 
tending the  knowledge  of  the  truth,  in  forming  new  congrega- 
tions, and  organizing  new  societies  ;  and  he  was  instructed  to 
ask,  at  this  session,  for  the  establishment  of  a  branch  of  the  As- 
sociation, which  should  hold  an  annual  session  in  that  region. 
It  was  not  expected  nor  desired  to  establish  an  independent  body, 
nor  by  any  means  to  be  considered  a  distinct  Association  ;  but 
the  distance  of  their  location  from  Central  New  York,  where 
the  Western  Association  ought  uniformily  to  hold  its  annual 
meetings,  rendered  it  extremely  difficult  for  many  of  them  to  at- 
Q 


258  MEMOIRS   OF   THE 

tend,  and  the  utility  of  those  meetings  in  the  region  where  they 
were  holden,  rendered  it  very  desirable  to  have  an  annual  ses- 
sion in  that  department  of  the  vineyard,  which  should  be  pretty 
sure  to  have  a  large  delegation  from  the  parent  Association. 
They  therefore  wished  to  be  considered  as  still  belonging  to  the 
Western  Association,  and  to  have  their  body  denominated,  "  The 
Genesee  Branch  of  the  Western  Association."  The  plan  was 
readily  and  cordially  approved  of,  and  a  committee  appointed' to 
meet  with  the  preachers  and  delegates  from  societies  in  that 
section,  and  organize  the  Genesee  branch  Association.  This 
was  the  germ  of  the  Genesee  Association ;  for  in  a  few  years 
afterwards,  their  growing  numbers  and  strength  rendered  it  pro- 
per and  advisable  to  choose  them  as  an  independent  association. 
The  militia  law  of  the  State  of  New  York  required  a  resi- 
dent commissioned  chaplain  within  the  beat  of  each  regiment. 
When  I  settled  in  Hamilton,  Mr.  Hosmer,  pastor  of  the  Baptist 
church  in  that  town,  held  that  office.  In  1812,  or  early  in 
1813,  he  died,  leaving  the  office  of  chaplain  in  the  regiment 
vacant ;  and  in  the  fore  part  of  September,  1813,  I  received  a 
letter  from  the  commandant  of  the  regiment,  informing  me  that 
he  had  led  his  officers  to  the  choice  of  a  chaplain,  and  that  they 
had  unanimously  cast  their  votes  for  me ;  and  he  very  politely, 
but  earnestly,  requested  me  to  accept  of  the  office,  and  desired 
me  to  officiate  with  the  regiment,  on  field  day,  that  fall.  On 
sober  reflection — as  it  would  require  but  little  time,  three  days 
only,  in  each  year  ;  and  as  it  would  introduce  me  more  inti- 
mately to  the  acquaintance  of  men  of  som^  influence  in  society, 
and  thereby  enable  me,  perhaps,  to  be  more  extensively  useful 
in  advancing  the  cause,  which  was  the  paramount  object  of  all 
my  labors — I  came  to  the  conclusion  to  accept  the  office.  It 
will  be  recollected,  that  at  this  time  our  nation  was  engaged  in 
a  second  war  with  Great  Britain ;  and  this  circumstance  ren- 
dered military  office,  even  among  the  militia,  of  more  import- 
ance than  usual.  I  accordingly  attended  the  battalion  and  regi- 
mental reviews,  and  officiated  as  chaplain,  on  parade.  In  the 
course  of  religious  service,  on  one  of  the  days,  at  a  battalion 
training  in  the  town  of  Madison,  a  petition  was  offered,  which 
produced  some  excitement ;  and  which  was  laid  hold  of,  by  the 
vigilant  enemies  of  Universalism,  as  an  evidence  of  the  blas- 
phemous presumption  of  the  preachers  of  the  order,  a  total  dis- 
regard of  divine  instruction,  and  a  vile  perversion  of  Scripture 
language !  The  petition,  in  substance,  was.  That  we  might  be 
inspired  with  a  pure  spirit  of  patriotic  devotion — that  when  our 


LIFE    OF    HEV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  259 

liberties  were  menaced,  our  shores  invaded,  our  towns  and  our 
cities  in  flames,  our  possessions  wrested  from  us,  and  our  sons 
and  our  daughters  carried  into  captivity — we  might  be  willing 
to  "beat  our  plough-shares  into  swords,  and  our  pruning-hooks' 
into  spears,  and  let  the  weak  say  I  am  strong."  "  There," 
they  said,  ''that  is  your  Universalist  chaplain  !  see  how  he  per- 
verts scripture.  The  Bible  says  the  time  will  come,  when  they 
shall  'beat  their  swords  into  plough-shares,  and  their  spears  in- 
to pruning-hooks'  ;  but  he  prays  for  the  reverse  :  that  the  peo- 
ple may  iDeat  their  plough-shares  into  swords,  and  their  pruning- 
hooks  into  spears !"  The  flame  of  excitement  was  blown  by 
the  breath  of  the  Presbyterians,  with  the  clergyman  at  their 
head,  who  were,  in  general,  equally  opposed  to  Universalism 
and  the  existing  war  with  Great  Britain  ;  for  they  now  flattered 
themselves  that  they  had  obtained  an  efficient  weapon  with 
which  to  crush  Universalism,  at  least,  in  that  place.  "  I  was 
much  pleased  with  Mr.  Stacy's  services,"  said  Major  M.  to  Col. 
C,  "but  am  very  sorry  he  made  use  of  that  expression,  al- 
though it  was  truly  appropriate."  "  Why,  you  fool,"  said  Col. 
C,  ''don't  you  know  that  it  is  Bible?"  "  O,  no,"  answered  the 
Major,  "the  Bible  says, they  shall  beat  their  swords  into  plough- 
shares, &c."  "  Well,"  said  the  Col.,  "  I'll  bet  you  a  bottle  of 
wine,  that  I  can  find  the  very  words  he  made  use  of,  in  the  Bi- 
ble." The  bet  was  taken;  and  the  Col.  took  the  bible,  and 
turned  to  the  third  chapter  of  the  book  of  Joel,  and  put  his  fin- 
ger on  the  passage.  "I'm  glad  I've  lost  the  wine,"  said  the 
Major;  "  I'll  have  them  now."  The  very  next  Sunday,  Major 
M..  attended  the  Presbyterian  meeting.  When  the  morning 
services  closed,  before  the  preacher  had  time  to  leave  the  desk, 
he  walked  deliberately  up  the  pulpit  stairs — his  movement  ex- 
cited the  attention  of  the  whole  congregation,  for  Major  M.  sel- 
dom attended  that  meeting  ;  it  was  surprising  to  see  him  there  ; 
and  still  more  wonderful  what  business  he  could  have  in  the 
desk ;  and  their  amazement  created  profound  silence — but  he 
walked  up  with  as  much  dignity  as  a  priest ;  and  without  speak- 
ing to  the  clergyman,  took  the  Bible,  and  with  profound  solem- 
nity, opened  it,  and  read  in  a  loud,  clear,  and  distinct  voice,  the 
condemned  words  of  the  Universalist  chaplain,  naming  the  book, 
chapter,  and  verse.  Such  a  shock  upon  a  congregation  of  peo- 
ple, he  said,  he  never  before  witnessed.  The  preacher  looked 
ashamed,  and  hung  his  head  ;  his  congregation  looked  stupified, 
and  left  the  hou.^e  without  uttering  a  word  in  his  hearing  ;  and 
the  Major  walked,  with  a  triumphant  air,  out   of  the  house. 


260  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

This  turned  the  scale  of  triumph,  and  converted  their  vile  ma- 
chinations into  means  for  the  promotion  of  truth.  All  this  took 
place  at  my  expense,  without  the  least  suspicion,  on  my  part,  of 
having  given  cause  for  crimination,  until  some  weeks  afterwards, 
when  I  was  informed  of  it  by  Col.  C. 

The  winter  following,  I  reci'ivcd  a  commission,  from  "Our 
beloved  Daniel  D.  Tompkins,  Grovernor  of  our  said  State,"  and 
was,  consequently,  duly  installed  into  office.  In  the  summer  of 
1814,  a  detachment  of  militia  was  called  for,  to  organize,  and 
stand  ready  for  actual  service,  for  six  months  in  the  course  of 
the  year;  and  Col.  C.  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  a  regi- 
ment of  six  months'  militia.  He,  by  dint  of  authority  vested  in 
him,  assigned  me  to  the  office  of  chaplain,  in  his  regiment ;  and 
notified  me  to  stand  ready  for  actual  service,  at  a  moment's  warn  - 
ing  ;  and  it  was  in  vain  that  I  expostulated  ;  he  would  receive 
no  denial.  Before  the  detachment  was  thoroughly  organized, 
the  fortress  of  Sackett's  Harbor,  on  Lake  Ontario,  which  had 
already  received  one  attack  from  the  British  forces,  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  Lake,  was  again  menaced ;  and  the  militia,  e7i 
masse,  from  all  the  surrounding  country,  were  called  out  for  its 
defence.  This  swept  the  whole  country,  within  100,  or  150 
miles  of  the  fort,  clean  of  every  man  enrolled  in  the  militia,  un- 
less he  procured  a  substitute,  or  stayed  at  home  in  defiance  of  the 
order  ;  but  they  were  encouraged  with  tlie  promise  of  being 
discharged,  as  soon  as  the  detached  troops  should  reach  the  post ; 
these  hopes,  however,  proved  fallacious.  The  detachment 
was  organized  with  all  possible  expedition,  and  marched  to  the 
post;  but  the  commanding  General,  from  the  threatening  atti- 
tude  of  the  British,  upon  the  opposite  side,  and  the  manoeuver- 
ing  of  the  fleet  upon  the  Lake,  was  panic-struck,  and  refused, 
upon  any  pretence  whatever,  to  discharge  a  single  individual, 
and  kept  the  whole,  mass  and  detached  militia,  on  the  ground, 
until  they  were  relieved  by  the  arrival  of  General  Brown's  ar- 
my, from  the  west,  late  in  the  month  of  November. 

I  arrived  at  Sackett's  Harbor  about  the  22d  of  September, 
and  remained  there  until  the  troops  were  discharged  ;  and  it 
was  one  of  the  most,  and  I  may  say,  with  safety,  the  most  disa- 
greeable season  of  my  whole  life.  The  weather  was  extreme- 
ly unpleasant ;  the  heavens,  shrouded  with  murky  and  impervi- 
ous clouds,  poured  down  torrents  of  rain,  or  drizzled  their  contents 
upon  the  earth  in  "  one  eternal  storm,"  which  covered  the  whole 
country  as  with  a  bed  of  mortar,  into  which  the  feet  of  our  horses 
would  sink,  until  they  reached  the  solid  rock  ;  (that  whole  coun- 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  261 

try  is  imbed ed  with  an  unbroken  stratum  of  lime-stone,  from  six 
to  two  or  three  feet  from  the  surface  of  the  earth) — and  if  we 
could  walk  from  one  cantonment  to  the  other,  without  sinking 
above  the  tops  of  our  boots  in  the  mud,  we  thought  ourselves 
very  fortunate.  There  were  not  five  fair  days  during  the 
whole  of  our  two  months'  campaign  ! — add  to  this  the  sickness 
that  prevailed,  particularly  among  the  mass  militia,  owing  to 
their  unpreparedness  for  the  season,  having  been  drawn  out 
without  a  moment's  warning  to  make  preparation  ;  their  disap- 
pointment in  not  being  discharged  according  to  promise,  and  their 
consequent  dissatisfaction  and  despondency,  which  terminated  in 
more  or  less  deaths  almost  every  day.  This  is  but  a  faint 
sketch  of  the  scene  before  my  eyes  for  two  months  ;  yet  here 
you  have  a  picture  before  you,  enough  to  enstamp  a  fearful 
gloom  upon  the  most  buoyant  and  cheerful  heart.  There  was 
but  one  Sabbath  during  the  whole  campaign,  when  the  weather 
would  permit  of  parading  the  regiment  to  hear  a  discourse  ; 
and  then,  both  officers  and  soldiers  were  obliged  to  stand  in  the 
mud  something  less  than  knee  deep.  The  regiment,  however, 
was  uniformily  paraded  after  roll-call  in  the  morning,  for 
prayers  ;  and  I  also  often  officiated  for  a  regiment  of  mass  mili- 
tia which  had  no  chaplain. 

My  time  was  very  busily  employed  in  visiting  the  sick,  in 
attending  at  the  burials,  and  following  the  poor  fellows  who  died 
to  Briar-hill,  the  place  of  interment ;  and  in  getting  permits 
for  such  as  were  able  to  ride,  to  go  a  little  way  out  into  the 
country,  to  take  the  purer  air,  and  to  get  a  little  more  suitable 
food  than  the  barracks  afforded  them  ;  and  in  furnishing  them 
with  a  horse  for  the  excursion.  I  enjoyed  an  ample  reward  in 
the  consciousness  of  being  enabled,  in  some  degree,  to  mitigate 
the  sufferings  of  these  disappointed,  gloomy,  and  disheartened 
fellow. mortals.  But  my  feelings  were  much  more  deeply  af- 
fected, mortified,  and  chagrined,  on  another  account,  than  any 
thing  that  I  have  yet  named  ;  and  that  was,  to  see  men  of  the 
best  habits,  men  of  integrity  and  of  the  first  respectability, 
so  instantaneously  metamorphosed  into  ruffians — totally  reck- 
less of  their  appearance,  their  language,  and  their  demeanor. 
They  were,  in  too  many  instances,  no  more  like  the  men  1  had 
known  at  home,  in  the  circle  of  their  friends  and  acquaintances, 
and  in  the  ordinary  walks  of  life,  than  a  demon  of  the  nether 
regions  would  be  like  an  inhabitant  of  the  celestial  sphere. 
Had  they  been  strangers  to  me,  had  I  never  known  them  un- 
der other  circumstances,  I   should  actually  have  considered 


262  MEMOIRS   OF   THE 

them  as  the  dregs  of  the  human  race,  as  out-laws  from  all  civ- 
ilized society  ;  but  I  was  personally  acquainted  with  hundreds 
of  them,  and  had  intimately  associated  with  very  many  of 
them  in  private  life,  and  felt  myself  honored  by  their  friendship 
— and  now  to  see  them  here,  to  witness  their  change  of  char- 
acter, their  recklessness,  their  want  of  civility,  their  total  dis- 
regard of  every  moral  principle,  made  me  groan  in  spirit, 
and  cry,  if  this  be  the  immoral  consequence  of  war,  may  the 
Sovereign  Lord,  in  great  mercy,  save  America  from  another 
rupture  with  any  nation  of  the  earth  ! 

But  my  situation  was  comparatively  pleasant  and  agreea- 
ble  to  that  of  the  officers  and  soldiers  in  general.  I  was  inti- 
mately acquainted  with  the  commanding  general,  Oliver  Col- 
lins, he  being  one  of  the  first  individuals  who  signed  the  con- 
stitution of  the  first  Universalist  society  in  Whitestown,  in 
1805.  And  as  soon  as  I  had  reported  myself  to  my  Colonel, 
on  my  arrival  at  Sackett's  Harbor,  I  made  General  Collins  a 
visit.  From  him  I  learned  that  a  mutual  friend  of  ours  resi- 
ded within  a  mile  of  the  encampment,  and  kept  a  public  house  ; 
and  I  obtained  permission  to  make  that  my  boarding-place 
during  the  campaign.  Consequently,  I  drew  a  soldier  from  the 
ranks  as  a  servant,  entered  my  horse  in  the  public  stable,  gave 
it  in  charge  to  him,  and  took  up  my  quarters  a  mile  out  of  the 
encampment.  My  servant  brought  my  horse  to  me  each  morn- 
ing, and  awaited  my  return  to  my  quarters;  so  that  I  could 
ride  to  the  cantonment,  and  from  place  to  place,  where  it  was 
difficult  to  walk  ;  and  when  the  duties  of  the  day  were  per- 
formed, return  to  my  boarding-house. 

Although  I  could  preach  very  little  on  parade,  I  delivered 
lectures  frequently,  in  the  adjacent  country  ;  and  once  deliver- 
ed a  funeral  discourse  for  a  soldier,  who  died  two  miles  out  in 
the  country. 

During  this  military  career,  I  nevei;once  forgot  the  great  ob- 
ject of  my  sacerdotal  mission  ;  and  in  all  my  pursuits,  Tever 
considered  that  paramount  to  every  other  consideration  ;  and, 
consequently,  at  every  opportunity,  published,  with  the  best 
powers  I  possessed,  the  doctrine  of  the  great  salvation.  While 
out  on  this  campaign,  I  obtained  a  permit  of  absence  for  one 
week,  and  visited  the  town  of  EUisburg,  to  which  two  or  three 
families  of  my  acquaintance  had  removed,  from  Whitestown ; 
and  spent  one  Sabbath  with  them,  besides  delivering  several 
lectures,  in  different  parts  of  the  town.  Mr.  Winslow  had  pre- 
viously visited  this  region,  once  or  twice  ;  and  I  believe  he  was 


LIFE   OF    REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  263 

the  only  Univei*salist  preacher  who  had  ever  delivered  a  dis- 
course in  all  this  country. 

Late  in  the  month  of  November,  General  Brown's  army 
marched  into  our  quarters ;  and  a  more  besmeared  set  of  rep- 
tiles were  never  seen  crawling  out  of  the  mud.  They  had 
marched  from  the  Niagara  frontier,  through  incessant  rains, 
v/hich  covered  the  whole  country  with  a  bed  of  mortar,  almost 
up  to  their  knees  ;  and  their  tattered  and  filthy  garments  looked 
more  like  the  habiliments  of  beggars — much  more,  than  like  the 
neat  uniform  of  regular  troops  ;  and  they  were  completely  worn 
out  and  dispirited — indeed,  many  had  to  be  left  by  the  way, 
being  totally  unable  to  proceed  on  their  march.  But  their 
arrival  was  hailed  by  the  most  welcome  cheers  of  the  disheart- 
ened and  exhausted  militia,  who  were  eager  to  leave  this  bed  of 
mire,  and  scene  of  wretchedness.  The  militia  were  all  now 
discharged  ;  and  those  who  had  escaped  the  ravages  of  death, 
were  permitted  to  return  once  more  to  the  bosom  of  their  fami- 
lies. Few,  very  (ew,  who  were  out  on  this  campaign,  escaped 
sickness  ;  and  those  who  were  sick  v/hile  out,  and  lived  through 
it,  were,  in  general,  the  most  fortunate;  for  the  sickness  which 
followed,  was  far  the  most  malignant.  My  health,  during  the 
time  I  was  at  Sackett's  Harbor,  was  good — I  thought,  never 
better ;  but  1  evidently  imbibed  the  germ  of  a  disease,  which, 
in  about  a  year  afterwards,  prostrated  me  on  a  bed  of  sickness, 
and  brought  me  near  the  grave.  This  campaign  commenced 
and  closed  the  service  of  the  six  months'  militia  ;  for  before  an- 
other season  opened,  a  treaty  of  peace  was  effected  between  the 
belligerant  powers,  and  peace  once  more  beamed  on  the  Uni- 
ted  States  of  America. 

Once  more  at  home,  in  the  bosom  of  my  family,  I  realized  the 
sweets  of  domestic  life  with  an  infinitely  greater  relish,  after 
the  dreary  campaign  from  which  I  had  just  escaped,  than  I  ever 
before  experienced ;  and  most  devoutdly  did  I  pray,  that  the 
peaceable  intercourse  of  our  nation  with  the  different  govern- 
ments of  the  world  m'ight  never  again  be  interrupted.  But, 
alas  !  I  have  lived  to  see  our  nation  engaged  in  another  war ; 
and  though  far  removed  from  my  retired  and  peaceful  abode, 
the  alarming  reports  of  infuriated  conflicts,  of  "  confused  noise, 
and  garments  rolletl  in  blood,"  of  ensanguined  fields,  and  hu- 
man butchery,  of  the  widow's  wail  and  the  orphan's  hopeless 
tear,  reach  even  this  secluded  spot  on  the  foot-stool  of  God, 
awakening  the  deepest  sympathies  of  the  heart,  and  disturbing 
the  evening  of  my  days.      And,  oh,  may  the  great  Arbiter  of 


264  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

nations,  the  Father  of  us   all,  in  great  mercy  interpose  his  sov- 
ereign arm,  wrest  from  the  hands  of  his  infatuated  children  the     ; 
implements  of  death,  smother  their  rage,  soothe  their  temper, 
and,  restoring  them  to  reason,  to  justice,  and  to  truth,  inspire 
them  with  kindred  sentiments  of  friendship  ;  that  they  may  be^ 
disposed  to  "Beat  their  swords  into  plough-shares,  and  their 
spears  into  pruning. hooks,"  that  gentle  peace  may  extend  her     j 
olive  wand  "  From  poll  to  poll,  and  from  the  river  to  the  ends     i 
of  the  earth."  '  ! 

Resuming  my  labors,  on  the  field  of  peace,  which  now  seem- 
ed doubly  delightsome,  not  extending  my  travels  to  any  great 
distance,  I  spent  the  winter  cheerfully ;  and  the  season  rolled  ; 
pleasantly  on,  and  brought  about  the  time  of  our  annual  convo- 
cation, when  our  tribes  should  again  go  up  to  Jerusalem,  with 
their  yearly  offerings  to  the  Lord. 

Our  Association  met,  in  June,  1815,  in  the  town  of  Horner^ 
Cortland  County.  (But  I  shall  not  be  able  to  designate  every 
place  of  its  meeting  up  to  the  time  in  which  I  removed  from  the  < 
State,  for  the  want  of  authentic  memoranda,  which  I  was  toO' 
busy  or  too  negligent  to  make.)  This  was  peculiarly  a  season  ^ 
of  congratulation  and  encouragement,  from  the  circumstance 
tliat  it  brought  together  a  greater  numter  of  preachers  than  had 
ever  before  congregated  in  this  State. 

Mr.  Isaac  Root,  formerly  a  Baptist,  but  who  had  labored  in 
the  cause  of  God's  Universal  Grace  successfully  for  several    \ 
years,  in  New  England,  met  with  us,  and  gave  us  encourage- 
ment of  taking  up  his  abode  in  this  country ;  which  he  did  in    ' 
tlie  course  of  the  season.     Mr.  Underwood,  of  whom  I  have 
heretofore   spoken,  also    attended  this  session,  and  received  a 
letter  of  fellowship ;  and  Mr.  Isaac  Whitnall,  an    Englishman 
by  birth,  who  had  emigrated  to  the  United  States  a  few  years 
before  this  as  a  Baptist  preacher,  had  embraced  the  faith  of  a    i 
world's  salvation,  commenced  proclaiming  it  with  the  zeal  of  an    ' 
enthusiast,  appeared  also  at  this  Association,  and  received  a  let-    j 
ter  of  fellowship.     These  were   important  acquisitions ;  which, 
while  they  invigorated  our  hopes  and  strengthened  the  band  of 
our  union,  presented  a  more  formidable  front  to  the  opposing 
ranks  of  the  enemy.     These  accessions  commanded  a  degree    i 
of  respect  from  them,  although  unwillingly,  which  gave  greater  i 
consequence  to  our  labors,  and  obtained  for  us  a  more  general 
attention  from  the  mass  of  the  community.     Mr.  Person,  of  Sar-    j 
atoga  county,  again  attended,  and  brought  with  him  a  friend  by    i 
the  name  of  Cook,  whom  he  reconamended  as  a  profitable  la- 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  265 

borer  in  the  vineyard,  and  asked  for  him  a  testimonial  of  fel- 
lowship, which  was  also  granted.  Besides  those  already  named, 
there  were  several  others,  of  less  note,  who  united  with  us  at 
tliis  session  ;  and  who,  although  ultimately  of  no  advantage  to 
the  cause  of  truth,  served  to  swell  our  ranks,  on  this  occasion, 
to  an  enviable  number. 

Mr.  Dean  who  had  previously  removed  to  Boston,  and  settled 
as  colleague  with  the  venerable  Murray,  made  this  Association 
a  visit  at  this  time.  He  came  on  a  special  mission.  I  had, 
some  time  during  the  previous  year,  received  a  circular  letter 
from  a  committee  appointed  for  the  express  purpose  of  soliciting 
subscriptions  for  the  establishment  of  a  theological  seminary  in 
Massachusetts.  The  circular  stated  one  important  provision  of 
the  proposed  institution,  which  was  quite  objectionable  in  my 
estimation  ;  and  that  was,  the  education,  gratuitously,  of  indigent 
young  men  for  the  ministry  ;  and  I  therefore  used  no  influence  in 
its  favor.  Mr.  Dean  now  came  authorized  to  lay  the  subject 
before  the  Western  Association,  and  guaranty  to  us  that  what- 
ever sum  we  would  furnish  toward  carrying  the  object  into  ef. 
feet,  should  be  faithfully  refunded  whenever  we  should  see  fit 
to  establish  such  an  institution  in  our  own  State.  He  privately 
opened  his  business  to  me,  inquired  if  I  had  received  the  circular, 
what  success  I  had  met  with ;  and  wanted  I  should  second  his 
efforts  in  the  Association.  I  told  him  I  had  duly  received  the 
circular,  and  had  met  with  all  the  success  I  desired — that  I  was 
perfectly  willing  he  should  lay  his  business  before  the  council, 
but  'I  should  conscientiously  oppose  him.  He  appeared  aston- 
ished at  the  stand  I  took — said  that  we  certainly.needed  a  better- 
educated  ministry  ;  and  that  it  would  render  our  denomination 
more  popular,  which  v/as  certainly  a  very  important  considera- 
tion. 1  replied  that  I  was  sensible,  very  sensible,  we  needed  a 
better-educated  ministry  ;  I  felt  every  day  the  need  of  a  better 
education  myself,  and  would  exert  every  faculty  I  possessed  to 
establish  a  literary  institution,  free  from  the  shackles  of  sectari- 
anism and  the  trammels  of  human  creeds  as  possible,  for  the  ed- 
ucation of  young  men  ;  but  I  would  have  them  go  alone  to  the 
school  of  Christ — to  the  holy  Bible — to  obtain  their  divinity,  and 
not  to  human,  theological  institutions.  Moreover,  there  was,  to 
my  mind,  a  very  objectionable  feaiure  in  the  proposals  of  the 
circular,  which  was  the  gratuitous  instruction  of  indigent  young 
men.  It  laid  a  temptation  before  idle  and  unprincipled  young- 
sters to  make  a  profession  for  the  sake  of  getting  an  education, 
and  acquiring  a  living  without  labor — without  the  least  sentimen- 


2bb  MEMOIRS   OF    THE 

tal  regard  for  the  cause  they  would  espouse.  It  had  already 
proved  deleterious  to  other  denominations,  many  instances  of  the 
truth  of  which  had  come  under  my  own  personal  observation,  and 
it  would  surely  be  so  to  us.  As  to  the  unpopularity  of  the  order, 
I  had  less  to  fear  from  that  circumstance  than  I  should  have  from 
its  popularity.  I  knew  very  well  that  we  were  unpopular — I  had 
suffered  enough  myself  to  learn  that  fact.  So  was  primitive 
Christianity  unpopular,  but  its  unpopularity  was  its  guaranty 
against  imposition  and  imposture.  J  wished  the  doctrine  of  Uni- 
versalism  to  become  popular  only  by  its  own  intrinsic  merits, 
and  not  by  any  external  splendor  that  might  render  it  pleasing 
to  the  people.  These  were  the  sentiments  of  my  heart,  at  that 
time  ;  and  I  have  never  had  occasion  to  change  them.  We  have 
been  accused  of  propagating  licentious  doctrines — doctrines 
which  have  fostered  crime,  and  filled  our  penitentiaries  with 
convicts.  This  charge  has  led  to  the  examination  of  the  peni- 
tentiaries in  several  States ;  and  we  have  honestly  and  justly 
boasted  that  not  a  single  individual  who  had  ever  professed  to 
be  a  Universalist  could  be  found  there  ;  while  multitudes  of  pro- 
fessors of  almost  every  other  denomination,  with  a  full  propor- 
tion of  those  who  had  been  preachers  among  them,  occupied  the 
cells.  While  passing  through  the  State  prison  at  Auburn,  I  was 
once  told  by  the  overseer  who  conducted  me,  that  he  had  thirteen 
preachers  confined  there  under  his  tuition  ;  but  there  was  not  a 
Universalist,  either  preacher  or  layman,  in  the  prison.  But, 
once  let  the  denomination  dazzle  with  the  splendor  of  this  world, 
let  it  hold  out  inducements  to  the  unprincipled  to  enter  its  ranks 
for  the  sake  of  its  popular  applause,  the  indulgence  of  an  indo- 
lent and  lazy  habit,  or  the  acquisition  of  wealth  without  indus- 
try, and  we  should  no  longer  be  able  to  boast  exemption  from  le- 
gal conviction,  nor  of  that  tranquillity  which  has  hitherto  distin- 
guished us  ;  but  crime  would  destroy  the  peace  of  our  church, 
and  disorder  and  anarchy  would  sever  the  cord  of  affection  that 
now  binds  us  in  one  celestial  brotherhood.  Mr.  Dean  finally 
said,  if  I  was  resolved  to  oppose  him,  he  would  not  introduce 
the  subject  into  the  council  ;  and  consequently  did  not. 

At  this  Association,  Mr.  Jones,  Mr.  Underwood,  and  my- 
self  were  appointed  delegates  to  attend  the  Genesee  branch 
Association,  which  was  to  hSld  its  session  in  the  town  of  Ben- 
ton, on  the  4th  Wednesday  and  Thursday  in  August;  and 
through  the  blessings  of  God,  we  were  all  enabled  to  fulfil  our 
mission.  We  found  the  cause  prospering  under  the  faithful  la- 
bors of  Mr.  Knapp,  with  the  trifling  assistance    he  received 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  267 

from  Messrs.  Billinghurst,  Upson,  and  Parker,  and  the  casual 
visits  of  some  other  preachers.  The  session  was  well  attended 
by  preachers  and  delegates,  and  a  large  congregation  attended 
religious  worship  in  a  barn  ;  and  both  preachers*  and  people 
were  encouraged  and  strengthened  thereby  in  their  race.  I 
remained  some  two  weeks  or  more  in  that  country,  and 
preached  in  Gorham,  Canandaigua,  Victor,  and  Pittsford  ;  and 
on  my  way  home  delivered  a  lecture  in  Auburn,  another  in 
Camillus,  and  preached  a  Stnday  in  the  village  of  Nine-mile 
Creek,  in  Marcellus.  Auburn,  which  now  takes  rank,  in  point 
of  magnificence  and  population,  with  the  most  splendid  in- 
land cities,  with  its  hundreds  of  merchants,  its  elegant  man- 
sions, its  numerous  and  splendid  churches,  and  other  public 
buildings,  and  with  one  of  the  most  numerous  Universalist  so- 
cieties in  the  State,  possessing  a  large  and  commodious  meeting 
house,  was  then  but  an  inditierent  hamlet,  affording  but  two  or 
three  families  who  dared  to  manifest  any  sympathy  for  the  doc- 
trine of  Unlimited  Grace.  A  small  school-house  was  the  only 
building  into  which  a  preacher  of  our  faith  could  be  admitted, 
to  speak  of  the  good  things  of  the  kingdom  of  God. 

For  the  whole  of  this  season,  after  the  opening  of  spring, 
my  health  and  spirits  had  been  on  the  decline  ;  and  during  this 
tour,  especially,  I  had  experienced  a  lassitude,  an  unaccounta- 
ble stupor,  dulness  of  spirit,  and  drowsiness,  that  marred  my 
enjoyment,  and  rendered  it  almost  impossible  for  me  to  arouse 
up  and  acquire  spirit  enough  to  address  a  congregation.  I 
however  completed  my  intended  tour  ;  but  when  I  had  deli- 
vered my  last  discourse  on  Sunday,  at  Nine-mile  Creek,  such 
was  my  solicitude  to  reach  home,  that,  notwithstanding  the 
heavens  looked  threatening  with  portentous,  black,  and  rolling 
clouds  in  the  western  hemisphere,  I  refused  to  listen  to  the  re- 
iterated entreaties,  persuasions,  and  expostulations  of  friends, 
to  remain  over  night,  but  called  for  my  horse,  determined  to 
ride  ten  or  twelve  miles  that  night,  that  I  might,  without  severe 
labor,  reach  home  the  next  day.  I  had  not  proceeded  over 
four  miles  before  the  rain  broke  upon  me  in  torrents,  and  be- 
fore I  could  reach  a  public-house,  I  was  completely  drenched 
to  the  skin  on  every  part  of  my  body.  I  put  up  for  the  night, 
dried  and  refreshed  myself,  and  retired  to  bed  ;  but  not  to  rest, 
for,  in  addition  to  the  racking  pains  which  were  fast  gathering 
upon  this  frail  tenement,the  rats  were  troublesome  companions, 
often  disturbing  my  broken  slumbers.  In  the  morning  I  found 
they  laid  siege  to  my  possessions,  had  actually  gnawed  through 
my  coat-pocket,  and  made  some  incisions  upon  my  pocket-book, 


268  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

I  arose  from  my  bed  in  the  morning,  racked  with  excruciating 
pains  through  my  whole  frame,  even  to  the  extremity  of  every 
limb.  But  what  should  I  do  ?  I  could  not  think  of  remaining 
there  to  be  sick  ;  and  it  did  not  appear  possible  for  me  to  mount 
my  horse,  or  ride  a  step  if  I  were  on  his  back.  I  sat  for  a  few 
moments  in  deep  and  melancholy  thought.  I  then  arose,  saying, 
"  This  will  not  do — I  must  reach  home — Landlord,  give  me  a 
glass  of  brandy."  I  drank  it,  and  it  soothed  my  pain.  I  then 
buttoned  my  overcoat  tight  arouna  me,  mounted  my  horse  and 
rode  thirteen  miles.  When  1  had  accomplished  this,  I  could  sit 
on  my  horse  no  longer.  I  stopped,  drank  another  glass  of  bran- 
dy, fed  my  horse,  and  tried  to  eat  some  breakfast.  But,  alas ! 
a  trifle — an  insignificant  mite — was  all  that  I  could  eat  or  did 
eat,  until  I  entered  my  own  dwelling.  But  I  persevered,  sooth- 
ing my  pains  with  brandy  when  I  could  bear  them  no  longer ; 
and,  on  that  dreary  day,  I  rode  more  than  sixty  miles,  reaching 
my  own  residence  between  ten  and  eleven  o'clock  in  the  evening. 
In  three  days  from  that  time,  I  was  entirely  helpless,  and  had  to 
be  lifted  by  others  from  my  bed.  More  than  forty  days,  I  lay- 
prostrated  under  what  the  physicians  called  a  "  A  lake  bilious 
fever."  The  germ  of  the  disease  had,  undoubtedly,  been  ta- 
king  root  in  my  frame  from  the  time  of  my  campaign  at  Sack- 
ett's  Harbor ;  and  the  drenching  rain  to  which  I  exposed  myself 
gave  it  a  thrifty  and  fearful  growth.  About  three  weeks  of  the 
time  I  was  somewhat  deranged,  although  I  have  some  indistinct 
recollection  of  particular  events.  But,  although  my  case  was 
for  weeks  considered  hop'^less,  my  faith  was  not  in  the  least  de- 
gree shaken,  but  remained  firm  and  abiding  when  I  was  capable 
of  realizing  my  situation. 

An  incident  occurred,  for  the  knowledge  of  which  I  am 
wholly  indebted  to  my  wife.  The  physicians — two  of  whom 
were  punctual  in  their  visits  two  or  three  times  each  day  during 
my  sickness — strictly  prohibited  any  conversation  with  me  on 
tlie  subject  of  my  faith,  or  any  other  exciting  subject.  I  was 
quite  inclined,  (1  was  told,)  while  in  an  unconscious  state,  to  be 
muttering  something  to  myself,  generally  unintelligible,  but 
sometimes  a  word  or  two  could  be  understood.  One  day  a  very- 
kind  neighboring  woman,  who  had  watched  over  me  much,  and 
with  much  tenderness,  was  sitting  by  my  bed-side,  and  caught  a 
word  which  led  her  to  say  to  my  wife,  "That  man  is  concerned 
about  his  soul."  The  woman  was  a  rigid  Calvinistic  Presbyte- 
rian ;  and  my  wife  was  very  unwilling  to  have  such  a  report 
circulated,  unless  there  was  real  ground  for  it.     She  therefore 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  269 

came  and  sat  down  by  me,  and  spoke  calmly  to  me  until  she 
thought  I  was  fully  awake,  and  as  intelligent  as  I  could  be  un- 
der the  disease,  and  then  asked  me  if  I  felt  any  concern  about 
my  future  state.  She  said  I  looked  around,  and  seeing  Mrs.  B. 
sitting  near  the  bed,  addressed  myself  directly  to  her,  and  spoke 
for  several  minutes  with  greater  strength  than  I  had  done  since 
I'had  been  sick,  and  in  such  a  manner  as  led  the  woman  to  say, 
"  O,  no;  he  has  no  concern  about  the  salvation  of  his  soul — his 
faith  is  not  shaken." 

My  sickness  produced  considerable  excitement,  especially 
among  the  Partialists ;  and  gave  rise  to  many  uncharitable  re- 
marks, and  some  slanderous  reports.  A  near  neighbor  to  me 
started  from  home  one  morning,  and,  after  riding  sixteen  or 
eighteen  miles,  stopped  to  feed  his  horse  at  a  public  house  in  the 
town  of  Nelson.  While  there,  he  heard  one  man  ask  another, 
"Have  you  heard  that  Mr.  Stacy  is  dead?"  "No,"  said  the 
other,  "  is  it  so  ?"  "  Yes."  "  Well,  how  did  his  faith  hold  out  ?" 
"  O,  he  renounced  his  doctrine,  and  died  in  despair  !"  My  neigh- 
bor inquired,  "How  came  you  by  that  intelligence'?"  He  re- 
plied, "  By  a  man  who  has  just  arrived  from  Hamilton — no  doubt 
it  is  correct."  "Well,"  replied  my  neighbor,  "I  know  it  is 
false — every  word  of  it.  I  am  a  near  neighbor  to  Mr.  Stacy, 
and  saw  him  this  morning.  He  is  very  sick,  but  we  begin  to 
have  hopes  that  he  will  recover  ;  and,  as  to  his  having  renounced 
his  doctrine,  it  is  as  false  as  the  report  of  his  death.  I  presume 
that  he  has  never  given  occasion  to  any  person  to  suspect,  that 
a  shadow  of  doubt  has  overcome  over  his  mind."  FJe  subse- 
quently informed  me,  that  while  one  of  the  men  looked  pleased, 
the  other  hung  down  his  head  and  appeared  disappointed  ;  and 
my  friend  rather  concluded  he  was  sorry  that  the  story  did  not 
prove  true. 

One  good,  pious  old  Presbyterian  lady,  after  inquiring  of  my 
physician  how  I  was,  and  receiving  for  an  answer,  "  Very  sick," 
with  a  woeful  countenance  and  a  deep  pious  sigh,  remarked, 
"  I  think  it  most  probable  he  will  never  recover  ;  and  it  would 
probably  be  a  great  blessing  to  the  v/orld,  and  especially  to  the 
church  of  God,  if  tlie  Lord  should  see  fit  to  remove  him  out  of 
the  way."  The  Doctor  was  not  a  Universalist,  though  my  par- 
ticular friend,  and  a  great  enemy  to  sectarian  bigotry  ;  the  old 
lady's  remark  excited  his  indignation  a  little,  and  he  replied, 
"You  need  not  felicitate  yourself  with  the  prospect  of  his  death 
— he  shan't  die.  I  would  rather  lose  every  other  patient  I  have- 
than  to  lose  him — he  shan't  die." 


tlO  MEMOIRS    OF    'THE 

i\ry  physicians  were  as  faithful  as  friends  could  be,  as  skilful 
as  the  country  afforded,  and  employed  the  best  means  within 
their  knowledge  ;  but,  alas !  their  remedies  proved  more  painful 
than  the  disease  they  combated.  They  subdued  my  fever  with 
calomel ;  and  I  was  actually  sensible  of  more  acute  pain  from  a 
sore  mouth  than  from  the  fever  I  had  endured ;  but,  during  a 
large  share  of  the  time  I  was  prostrated,  I  was  quite  insensible  to 
pain.  Every  tooth  in  my  head  was  loosened,  and  they  have  never 
been  firm'since.  For  weeks  after  I  was  able  to  walk  about  the 
house,  and  even  to  ride  out,  I  was  compelled  to  hold  a  napkin 
to  my  miOuth  to  absorb  the  water  that  constantly  issued  from  it ; 
and,  when  it  eventually  healed,  a  tendon  was  so  contracted  on 
one  side  of  my  mouth,  that  I  could  scarcely  introduce  my  little 
finger  between  my  teeth.  "  There,"  said  a  kind  Presbyterian 
friend,  "  if  the  Lord  has  not  killed  Stacy,  he  has  shut  his  mouth 
— he  can  never  preach  again."  "  Well,"  repled  a  Universalist, 
"  he  has  left  him  a  head  and  hands — he  can  write,  and  perhaps 
do  as  much  good  by  writing  as  he  could  by  preaching."  But, 
by  the  use  of  proper  remedies  and  exercise,  I  became  able  to 
talk  moderately  though  indistinctly  ;  yet  I  did  not  soon  acquire  the 
fluency  and  ease  of  articulation  I  previously  possessed.  Never- 
theless, I  slowly  gained  strength,  so  that  before  the  middle  of 
January  following  I  commenced  holding  meetings. 

My  recovery  was  extremely  slow,  having  little  or  no  appetite 
for  food;  and,  during  the  whole  winter,  it  required  the  utmost 
exertions  of  my  strength  to  harness  my  horse  and  drive  him.  It 
was  suggested  that  a  journey  might  be  beneficial.  Arrange- 
ments were  accordingly  made,  and  about  the  middle  of  January, 
1  left  home  with  my  wife  for  a  visit  to  my  native  land ;  but  in 
about  two  days  the  snow  left  us,  or  rather  we  left  the  snow,  and 
struck  upon  the  bare  terra  jirma.  This  induced  us  to  diverge 
from  our  direct  course,  and  make  a  visit  at  Brother  Person's,  in 
Greenfield.  Here  we  waited  for  snow  some  two  weeks;  but  the 
heavens  continued  serene,  the  stars,  on  each  returning  evening, 
twinkled  with  unusual  brightness,  not  a  cloud  overcast  the  azure 
vault,  nor  a  flake  of  snow  fell  to  relieve  our  anxious  feelings. 
After  waiting  until  the  season  had  so  far  advanced  as  to  render 
it  hazardous  to  proceed  any  farther  from  home  with  my  cutter, 
even  if  sufficient  depth  of  snow  should  fall,  I  sold  it,  purchased 
a  wagon  and  returned  again  to  my  family.  But,  notwithstand- 
ing the  feebleness  of  my  health,  1  was  enabled  to  deliver  two 
■  discoui'ses  while  in  Greenfield,  and  one  in  Otsego  on  my  return 
home. 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  2l'3 

My  health  was  in  no  degree  improved  by  my  journey,  but,  on 
the  whole,  I  was  not  as  well.  I  felt  my  strength  declinino-  on 
my  return  home,  and  could  obtain  no  nostrum  that  seemed  to 
have  any  restorative  tendency.  I  met  with  the  society  but  two 
Sabbaths  after  my  return,  before  I  was  seized  most  violently  with 
the  ague  and  fever.  I  was  wholly  unacquainted  with  the  com- 
plaint,and  under  the  first  paroxysm  I  verily  thought  I  was  dying, 
or,  at  least,  must  be  on  the  verge  of  dissolution.  I  talked  with 
my  wife  on  the  subject,  gave  her  the  best  counsel  I  could,  par- 
ticularly in  regard  to  our  infant  family,  and  made  up  my  mind 
that  I  should  soon  try  the  realities  of  my  faith.  I  sat  for  hours 
and  shook  like  an  aspen  leaf  in  the  blast  of  a  hurricane,  inca- 
pable of  realizing  the  least  warmth  from  fire,  or  all  the  clothing 
that  could  be  applied ;  and  then  lay  as  much  longer,  burning 
over  a  fever  as  hot,  it  appeared  to  me,  as  Nebuchadnezzar's  fur- 
nace ;  when  the  perspiration  broke  forth  in  torrents  more  nau- 
seous than  the  fumes  of  Gehenna  !  Surely,  this  was  tremen- 
dous—beyond any  thing,  as  I  supposed,  that  any  mortal  being  had 
ever  before  experienced ;  and  what  the  result  would  be,  short  of 
death,  I  could  not  divine.  I  had  so  far  recovered  from  the  last 
stage  of  this  strange  phenomenon,  as  to  feel  tolerably  comfort- 
able, and  sit  in  a  chair,  when  a  special  friend  made  me  a  visit. 
He  inquired  about  my  health,  and  1  informed  him  that  my  last 
hour  was  evidently  drawing  nigh,  and  described  the  symptoms  of 
my  disease,  the  extraordinay  manner  in  which  I  had  been  treated 
under  it,  &c.  But,  to  my  utter  astonishment,  instead  of  a 
gloomy  countenance,  and  a  sympathy  suffusing  his  face  with 
tears,  he  broke  out  into  a  most  hearty  laugh,  and  exclaimed, 
"  I'm  glad  of  that — now  you'll  get  well.  It  is  the  ague  and  fe- 
ver that  has  been  hanging  about  you,  which  has  kept  you  down 
so  long — ^you'll  have  another  fit  to-morrow  or  next  day."  And 
sure  enough  1  did ;  and  continued  to  have  this  loathsome  and  dis- 
couraging disease,  having  fits  every  or  every  alternate  day ; 
when  1  had  four  regular  fits,  passing  through  the  different  sta- 
ges of  shaking,  fever,  and  sweating,  in  forty  eight  hours ;  until 
I  was  reduced  to  a  mere  skeleton,  with  just  strength  enough  to 
totter  about  the  house.  ^ 

Mr.  Kneeland,  of  whom  I  have  already  spoken,  came  into  the 
country  that  spring,  (1816,)  and  settled  with  the  society  in  New 
Hartford  ;  and  in  the  latter  part  of  May  made  me  a  visit,  remain- 
ing  a  week  or  more  in  the  town,  and  preaching  several  times. 
My  ague-fits  had  so  far  subsided,  that  I  concluded  that  I  could 
get  to  the  Association  with  his  assistance.     It   met  this  year, 


S72  MEMOIRS  OF    THE 

in  Cooperstown,  forty  miles  from  me.  I  had  never  missed  a 
session;  and,  although  I  was  incapable  of  taking  an  active  part 
in  the  council,  or  the  devotional  exercises  of  the  occasion,  I  felt, 
nevertheless,  a  strong  desire  to  be  present.  He,  therefore,  took 
charge  of  my  team,  helped  me  in  and  out  of  the  carriage,  and 
by  taking  two  days  to  accomplish  a  journey  of  forty  miles,  we 
safely  reached  the  place.  A  very  respectable  council,  both  of 
preachers  and  lay-delegates,  were  in  attendance,  and  a  large  con- 
gregation assembled  in  the  Episcopalian  church,  which  was  ob- 
tained for  our  accommodation.  This  was  an  unparalleled  cold 
season.  The  Association  was  invariably  holden  on  the  first 
Wednesday  and  Thursday  in  June  ;  and  on  both  days  of  its  ses- 
sion this  year,  snow  fell  almost  with  the  violence  of  a  wintry 
storm,  so  that,  on  Friday  morning,  the  snow  lay  from  one  to 
three  inches  deep  over  the  whole  face  of  the  country,  presenting 
the  appearance  of  a  winter  morning.  Although  I  had  reached 
the  place  of  meeting,  I  was  only  able  to  attend  the  session  of  the 
council,  or  the  exercises  of  public  worship,  about  half  of  the 
time,  and  the  other  half  sat  shivering  over  a  fire,  or  lay  on  a  bed, 
burning  with  a  fever.  But  it  was  a  source  of  spiritual  refresh- 
ing, notwithstanding  :  I  saw  the  brethren — I  heard  their  encour- 
aging reports — I  witnessed  their  devotions — and,  although  cold 
in  the  outward  man,  yet  the  inward  man  was  warmed  and  in- 
vigorated ;  and,  with  the  assistance  of  the  delegates  from  Ham- 
ilton, I  reached  home  without  suffering  any  serious  injury. 

Col.  N.  Haskel,  of  Brbokfield,  an  intimate  acquaintance  and 
friend,  who  had  been  in  the  habit,  for  several  successive  seasons, 
of  visiting  the  sea  shore  for  the  benefit  of  his  health,  was  again 
about  to  start  on  a  maritine  excursion,  and  suggested  to  me  the 
probability  that  it  would  recruit  my  health  to  accompany  him, 
kindly  offering  to  wait  upon  me  by  the  way,  and  assist  me  all 
in  his  power,  if  I  would  do  so.  It  struck  me  forcibly  that  it 
might  be  my  best  course,  and  I  readily  acceptsd  the  proposition. 
By  the  latter  part  of  June,  we  had  all  things  in  readiness.  I 
took  my  own  horse  and  wagon,  and  the  Colonel  rode  with  me, 
drove,  and  took  care  of  the  horse  as  far  as  Albany.  When  we 
had  reacftd  this  place,  my  health  had  very  sensibly  improved, 
and  2  felt  strong  enough  to  drive  my  own  horse  ;  and  as  he  de- 
sired to  go  down  the  river  to  the  city  of  New  York,  we  separa- 
ted, agreeing  to  meet  again  at  a  particular  point  on  the  sea-board. 
The  remainder  of  the  journey  I  performed  alone.  I  traveled 
through  my  native  town,  where  I  stopped  a  few  days  to  rest  and 
visit  my  parents  ;  and  then  proceeded  to  the  town  of  Attleboro', 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  273 

where  Mr.  R.  Carrique  was  settled  as  pastor  of  a  Universalist 
society.  After  spending  a  few  days  with  him,  he  accompanied 
me  to  the  village  of  Assonett,  on  Taunton  bay,  where  I  met  Col. 
Haskel,  who  had  arrived  a  few  days  before.  Mr.  Carrique  de- 
livered a  discourse,  on  the  great  doctrine  of  the  Gospel  of  Uni- 
versal Grace,  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  village,  who,  I  believe, 
had  never  before  enjoyed  such  a  feast,  and  then  returned  home. 
We  remained  here  several  days,  and  took  some  short  excursions 
in  a  boat  on  the  bay  ;  and,  on  the  fourth  of  July,  I  enjoyed  one 
of  the  most  delicious  treats  I  ever  had,  on  that  or  any  other  day, 
with  what  the  inhabitants  called  a  Clam-bake.  From  thence, 
we  went  to  New  Bedford,  where  an  incident  toot  place,  suffi- 
ciently  amusing  to  me,  and  vividly  illustrating  the  power  of  habit. 
The  Colonel  stopped  among  some  relatives,  but  I  put  up  with 
Capt.  Martin — a  mile  from  the  head  of  the  river.  1  was  very 
anxious  to  take  a  ride  on  the  bay,  and  the  Captain  very  kindly 
offered  to  give  me  one.  He  was  a  sea-faring  man,  had  com- 
manded a  vessel  of  some  description  for  many  years,  but,  at  this 
time,  happened  to  be  at  home.  He  went  to  the  head  of  the 
river,  and  on  his  return  told  me  he  had  engaged  a  good  boat  for 
the  excursion.  He  said,  the  next  morning  we  would  take  a 
wagon  and  ride  down  to  the  river,  where  all  things  would  be  in 
readiness  for  our  voyage.  The  next  morning  I  told  his  young 
man  to  harness  my  horse,  and  hitch  him  to  my  wagon.  He  did 
so ;  but  when  the  Captain  came  out  to  get  into  it,  he  suddenly 
stepped  back  and  said,  "  I  dare  not  ride  in  that  wagon — we  shall 
overset."  "  Why,  sir,  I  have  rode  in  it  a  great  many  hundred 
miles,  over  all  kinds  of  roads,  and  have  never  overset  once." 
"  But,"  said  he,  "  it  is  so  narrow,  we  shall  certainly  overset  be- 
fore we  get  to  the  head  of  the  river — I  dare  not  get  into  it."  I 
had  a  common.  New  York,  one  horse  wagon  ;  but  all  I  could  say 
to  him  would  not  persuade  him  to  get  into  it ;  but  he,  having  a 
wagon  of  Yankee  construction,  with  axles  of  the  same  length  as 
an  ox-cart,  would  have  the  wagons  exchanged.  When  we  ar- 
rived at  the  head  of  the  river,  the  boat  was  in  readiness.  It  was 
about  the  size  of  the  long-boat  of  an  ordinary  -y^ssel,  schooner 
rigged  ;  and  into  it  the  Captain  jumped  with  great  animation  and 
hilarity — down  the  river  we  sailed — called  at  the  village — took 
the  Colonel  on  board,  and  out  into  the  bay  toward  Nantucket, 
under  a  brisk  wind,  which,  to  use  the  Captain's  own  phrase, 
"  careened  "  the  boat  sometimes  so  as  to  dip  water  ;  but  he  was 
not  in  the  least  afraid  that  she  would  overset,  nor  did  he  apprehend 
the  least  possible  danger.     We  remained  in  this  place  two  days 

R 


274  MEMOIRS  OF   TKE 

only ;  but,  feeble  as  I  was,  I  had  to  deliver  one  lecture  m  tne' 
dwelling-house  of  Captain  Martin.  From  thence  we  went  to 
Rochester,  called  on  the  aged  Deacon  Foster,  brother  of  my  otd 
friend,  Nathan  Foster,  of  whom  I  have  before  written,  wiio,  in 
his  old  age,  after  serving  as  deacon  of  a  Partialist  church  for 
half  a  centuiy,  had  been  "  born  again  "  into  the  full  liberty  of 
the  Gospel  of  Christ,  and  then  rejoiced  exceedingly  in  the  faith 
of  an  unlimited  salvation  ;  but  his  wife — -poor  v/oman— was  in 
delirious  despair,  and.  had  been  in  that  state  for  many  years ; 
which  was  occasioned  by  the  awful  apprehension,  that  she  and 
her  husband  had  both  committed  the  unpardonable  sin,  and  were 
inevitably  doomed  to  endless  punishment.  It  was  in  vain  that 
I  talked  with  her.  She  seemed  not  to  comprehend  what  I  said 
■ — to  realize  nothing  but  her  intense  misery.  She  would  sit  the 
whole  day,  and  most  of  the  night,  wringing  her  hands,  and  groan- 
ing. Oh,  what  indescribable  Vvretchedness  that  blasphemous 
creed  has  brought  upon  suffering  humanity !  From  thence,  we 
made  a  short  visit  to  Middleborough,  and  then  went  to  Mr.  Car- 
rique's,  in  Attleborough,  w  here  the  Colonel  left  me,  and  return- 
ed hom.e.  After  remaining  a  few  days  with  Mr.  C,  he  accom- 
panied me  to  Providence ;  and  from  thence  to  Newport,  Rhode 
Island.  In  Newport,  I  found  one  of  the  most  delightful  situations- 
I  ever  visited  in'all  my  travels.  It  is  surrounded  by  the  ocean, 
whose  invigorating  breath  seemed  to  impart  new  life  and  anima- 
tion  to  my  emaciated  frame.  It  was  supplied  with  all  the  lux- 
uries of  the  sea  and  land,  and  peopled  with  the  most  unaffect« 
edly  polite  and  hospitable  class  of  inhabitants  I  ever  became  ac- 
quainted with,  in  any  section  of  our  humane  country.  We  re-* 
mained  in  Newport  a  week ;  and  I  delivered  a  single  lecture  in 
the  Court-house  to  a  crowded  congregation,  wdiich  not  only  filted 
the  Court-room,  but  the  stairway  and  hall,  as  compactly  as  they 
could  stand.  During  our  stay  in  the  city,  we  could  not  get  an 
opportunity  to  expend  a  cent — all  our  wants  were  anticipated 
and  supplied,  and  more  than  supplied  ;  and,  on  leaving  the  place, 
they  gave  us  funds  sufficient  to  defray  all  our  expenses,  from 
the  time  we  l%ft  Attleborough  until  our  return.  During  our 
visit  there,  I  was  introduced  to  Mr.  Green,  a  Baptist  preacher, 
who  made  a  remark  that  I  have  often  thought  of,  and  which  I 
think  it  would  be  w^ell  for  all  pugnacious,  theological  controver- 
tists  to  remember.  The  Elder,  in  a  very  mild  and  friendly|way, 
inquired  about  my  peculiar  doctrinal  views,  to  which  I  readily 
and  frankly  replied  ;  and,  in  return,  1  made  similar  inquiries  in 
reference  to  his  faith,  which  he  as  ingenuously  answered ;  and 


LIFE    OF   REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  275 

ihen,  instead  of  bolting  upon  me  by  an  acrimonious  condemna- 
tion of  my  sentiments,  which  was  often  the  case  with  Partialis! 
preachers,  mildly  and  pleasantly  remarked,  "  Well,  I  never  had 
religion  enough  to  quarrel  about." 

After  our  return  to  Attleborough,  I  remained  a  few  days  with 
Mr.  Carrique,  attended  meeting  one  day,  delivered  one  discourse, 
and  then  set  my  face  once  more  toward  the  home  of  my  family, 
where  my  anxious  thoughts  had  often  wandered.  On  my  re- 
turn, I  again  passed  through  my  native  town,  made  another  short 
stop  with  my  parents,  and  preached  one  Sunday  in  the  town  of 
Dana.  I  arrived  at  home  in  the  fore  part  of  the  month  of  Au- 
gust, having  been  absent  about  eight  weeks,  with  improved 
health,  but  not  well.  I  had  been  afflicted,  during  the  whole 
summer,  with  a  bloating  of  the  stomach,  attended  with  the  most 
excrutiating  pain,  which  I  could  only  mitigate  with  the  use 
of  opium  or  laudanum.  Shortly  after  my  return,  I  fell  in  com- 
pany  with  an  aged  physician,  of  long  experience,  as  well  as  cel- 
ebrated skill,  and  requested  him  to  examine  my  case,  and  pre- 
scribe for  it,  if  he  could  help  me.  He  complied ;  and,  in  the 
course  of  a  few  weeks,  by  the  use  of  the  means  he  recommended, 
which  was  one  of  the  most  simple  things  in  nature — a  tea-spoon 
full  of  pulverized  mustard- seed,  in  a  glass  of  wine,  three  times 
every  day,  I  was  entirely  relieved  from  that  difficulty,  and  ena- 
bled to  dispense  with  my  opium.  In  about  thirteen  months  from 
the  time  of  my  first  attack  with  the  fever,  I  was  restored  to  per- 
fect soundness  of  health,  with  the  exception  of  the  effects  of 
mercury  in  my  system,  which  has  troubled  me,  more  or  less,  to 
the  present  time.  Hence,  I  could  again  answer  the  question, 
"How  do  you  do  ?"  by  saying,  "  I  am  well." 


i 
i 


CHAPTER  XII. 


Ancient  treatise,  "  The  world  unmasked,  or  the  philosopher  the  greatest  cheat" 
— Publishing  a  book,  an  mifoitunate  enterprise — Judge  Flagler's  conversion — 
Lecture  at  Judge  Flagler's — Judge  F.  commences  preaching — Colchester  set-- 
tlement — Journey  to  Connecticut Meeting  in  the  city  of  Hartlbrd — Recep- 
tion at  Colchester — Remarks  of  a  friend  on  Sunday  morning — Meetings  in 
several  towns  and  societies — Return  through  Duchess  county.  New  York — 
Tour  to  Buffalo — Session  of  Genesee  Branch — Calvin  Morton — Anecdote  of 
Mr.  Whitnall  and  a  Scotch-Presbyterian  clergyman — Extraordinary  excite- 
ment— Conference  meetings — Feelings  of  other  denominations  on  the  subject 
— Presbyterians  and  other  sects  attend — -Methodists  unite  in  the  meetings — Mr. 
M.,  the  Congregationalist  clergyman — Correspondence — Mr.  M.'s  course  in 
conferences — Time  of  conference  meetings  changed — Mr.  M.'s  vexation  and 
wrath — Interview  vvath  the  Methodist  presiding  Elder — -Quarterly  meeting — 
Mr.  M.  attends  church-meeting — Communion- Address  of  a  Methodist  sister- 
Mr.  M.  comes  into  a  Universalist  meeting,  and  his  errand — Union  meeting  in 
the  Congregational  church — Mr.  M.'s  ecstacy  and  zeal — General  excitement. 
Conference— Opposition  of  the  CongregationaUst  clergy — Mr.  M.'s  retraction 
and  the  consequences — A  dream — -Water-baptism — Another  dream — Mrs. 
Pierce — Mode  of  preaching  and  exhortation  of  the  Methodists  duiing  the  re- 
vival— Peculiar  sensitiveness  at  an  evening  lecture  in  a  remote  part  of  tl^ 
town — Church  organized  in  Madison — Baptism  of  Rev.  C.  G.  Person,  in  the 
winter  season,  by  immersion — Result  of  the  awakening — Numbers  united  to 
the  church — Mr.  Job  Potter — Mr.  Oliver  Ackley— Increased  diligence  in 
reading  the  Scriptures — Presentation  of  texts — Inspiration. 

I  need  not  inform  my  acquaintances  that  I  was  never  a  good 
financier,  for  they  have  had  too  many  opportunities  of  demon- 
strating the  fact,  to  be  io;norant  of  it.  Often,  very  often,  my  zeal 
for  the  advancement  of  the  cause  led  me  headlong  into  expenses, 
which  drew  the  last  cent  from  my  scanty  purse,  and  left  me  in 
debt.  In  an  early  day,  such  debts  were  incurred  by  publishing 
the  minutes  of  our  Association.  But  the  worst  dilemma  of  the 
kind — the  most  distressing  to  my  family,  and  the  most  trying  to 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  277 

my  conscience — I  must,  as  a  faithful  historian,  record,  however 
repugnant  to  my  feelings. 

Some  few  years  after  my  settlement  in  the  State  of  New  York, 
I  found,  in  the  hands  of  a  friend  who  had  recently  emigrated 
from  Massachusetts,  an  ancient  treatise  on  the  doctrine  of  the 
final  restitution,  entitled,  "  The  world  unmasked,  or  the  philoso- 
pher the  greatest  cheat,  in  twenty  four  dialogues  ;  to  which  is 
added,  the  state  of  souls  separated  from  their  bodies,"  &c. ;  in. 
two  volumes.  The  first  volume  contained  the  dialogues ;  the 
second,  the  dissertation  on  the  state  of  souls,  &c.,  in  a  series  of 
familiar  letters  to  a  friend.  The  work  was  originally  written  in 
French  ;  and  the  volumes  which  I  found  were  printed  in  Lon- 
don, in  1743  ;  being  the  second  English  edition,  and  translated 
from  the  second  edition,  in  French.  The  antiquity  of  the  work 
excited  my  curiosity.  I  purchased  it,  and  read  it  with  much 
greater  satisfaction  than  I  anticipated,  when  I  first  took  it  into 
my  hands ;  especially  the  second  volume,  which  treated  upon 
the  doctrine  of  the  universal  purification  and  salvation  of  all 
souls.  This  volume  I  circulated  as  far  as  I  had  opportunity  ; 
and  it  produced  a  valuable  effect,  not  only  by  the  correctness  of 
the  sentiment,  the  soundness  of  the  argument,  and  the  brilliancy 
of  the  illustrations  of  the  great  doctrine  of  the  final  Restitution, 
but  by  showing  that  Universalism  was  not  a  "  New-fangled 
scheme."  It  presented  the  fact,  that  it  had  been  embraced  and 
ably  advocated  as  a  distinct  theory  for  a  period  of  more  than  a 
hundred  years  prior  to  that  age,  even  in  a  land  where  supersti- 
tion, bigotry,  and  Popish  intolerance  vindictively  resisted  its  on- 
ward progress.  As  books  on  the  doctrine  of  Universalism  were 
exceedingly  scarce,  I  was  repeatedly  and  earnestly  solicited  to 
get  the  second  volume  reprinted.  After  a  partial  recovery  from 
my  long  sickness,  my  friends,  no  doubt  from  the  best  motives, 
redoubled  their  importunities,  urging  its  publication  by  two  im- 
portant considerations :  First,  to  advance  the  cause  of  divine 
truth ;  and,  second,  to  repair  the  misfortune  and  attendant  ex- 
penses of  my  sickness  by  the  anticipated  profits  arising  from  its 
publication,  which,  they  entertained  no  doubt,  would  meet  with 
a  ready  and  extensive  sale.  At  the  same  time,  a  printer  who 
was  a  very  partial  friend  to  me,  and  was  publishing  a  weekly 
newspaper  in  the  village  of  Cooperstown,  voluntarily  ofiered,  if  I 
would  furnish  the  paper,  to  do  the  printing,  and  not  call  on  me 
for  any  remuneration,  until  such  time  as  all  other  expenses 
should  be  liquidated,  by  the  sale  of  the  books  ;  and,  if  that  could 
not  be  effected,  he  would  never  demand  any  thing.     Over-per- 


278  MEMOIRS   OF    THE 

suaded  by  such  arguments  and  propositions,  though  having  se- 
rious apprehensions  that  I  was  not  adapted  to  such  an  enterprise, 
I  finally  agreed  to  make  the  trial.  1  went  to  another  friend, 
who  was  a  mauufacturer  of  paper,  contracted  for  a  sufficient 
quantity  to  make  two  thousand  copies,  reviewed  the  work,  added 
a  few  notes,  vvhere  I  thought  the  idea  was  a  little  obscure,  wrote 
an  advertisemsnt  and  a  short  preface,  and  placed  them  in  the 
hands  of  the  printer.  He  immediately  issued  a  prospectus,  gave 
it  quite  an  extensive  circulation,  and  obtained  ample  encourage- 
ment  for  the  work,  which  was  offered  at  one  dollar  per  copy. 

But,  alas !  in  every  pecuniary  speculation,  I  was  destined  to 
be  unfortunate.  When  I  contracted  for  the  paper,  soon  after  the 
close  of  the  war,  and  amid  those  cold  seasons  which  approxima- 
ted the  nearest  to  a  famine  that  our  country  ever  experienced  ; 
every  article  of  produce  and  all  kind  of  labor,  especially  me- 
chanical labor,  bore  an  unprecedented  high  price.  The  print- 
er, being  disappointed  in  help  which  he  had  engaged,  was  un- 
der  the  necessity  of  postponing  the  work  one  whole  year  beyond 
the  time  stated  in  the  prospectus ;  and  then  a  very  important 
change  had  come  over  the  face  of  things — money  had  become 
very  scarce — produce,  labor,  and  every  thing  else  had  fallen  to 
a  low  price — and,  consequently,  when  the  books  were  ready  for 
delivery,  hundreds  of  subscribers  felt  the  pressure  of  the  times 
so  hard,  they  refused  to  take  their  books.  They  complained  of 
the  price,  as  being  too  high  in  proportion  to  other  things ;  and 
they  considered  themselves  absolved  from  their  engagement  by 
the  delay  of  its  deliverance,  and  therefore  justified  in  refusing 
to  taj^e  the  book.  But  there  was  no  deliverance  for  me — I  could 
not  so  easily  discharge  my  liabilities.  Although  I  never  had 
but  one  thousand  copies  bound,  yet  I  was  involved  in  a  debt  of 
seven  or  eight  hundred  dollars,  and  had  no  prospect  of  liquida- 
ting it  in  any  way  but  by  the  sale  of  the  books  And,  to  add  to 
my  embarrassment,  my  printer  removed  to  Albany,  established 
himself  in  business  there  but  soon  failed  ;  was  obliged  to  make 
an  assignment  of  all  his  property— my  account  with  others — to 
his  creditors,  and  I  was  immediately  called  upon  for  payment. 
He  wrote  to  me  on  the  subject,  manifested  great  mortification 
and  regret,  yet  there  remained  but  one  alternative — to  pay  it. 
He  also  exerted  his  influence  with  the  creditor  into  whose  hands 
the  account  against  me  fell ;  and  induced  him  to  show  me  that 
lenity  which,  together  with  my  utmost  exertions,  barely  enabled 
me  to  escape  legal  prosecution.  And,  to  satisfy  the  paper-ma^ 
ker,  I  gave  him  a  mortgage  on  my  little  farm,  v/hich,  howeverj 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  279 

in  progress  of  time  I  was  able  to  redeem.  But  the  whole  of  this 
business  was  a  source  of  the  greatest  vexation,  mortification,  la- 
bor, and  anxiety,  that  I  ever  endured.  It  troubled  me  by  day 
and  by  night.  I  could  suffer  temporal  privation  without  repining 
— could  endure  hunger  and  cold,  labor  hard,  and  all  the  while 
rejoice  in  the  spirit ;  but  to  be  dunned — to  have  my  creditors 
call  for  their  just  demands,  call,  and  call  again,  and  I  nothing 
to  satisfy  the  demand,  wounded  my  spirit,  and  drove  me  almost 
to  despair.  It  was  a  long  and  tedious  struggle.  But  I  employ- 
ed every  means  that  1  could  command — my  creditors  saw  it — 
and  they  were  unusually  lenitive,  and  put  me  to  no  unnecessary 
expenses.  But  years  rolled  round  before  I  had  so  far  extricated 
myself  from  that  burden,  that  I  could  breathe  easy ;  and  the 
last  of  that  debt  was  never  fully  cancelled  until  I  removed  to 
Michigan.  A  true  and  faithful  friend  gave  his  note  to  the  book- 
binder for  mfe,  for  one  hundred  dollars,  which  he  paid  when  due, 
and  gave  me  time  to  pay  him.  I  paid  him  some,  and  renewed 
the  note  several  times,  adding  to  it  the  interest,  before  I  left  Mad« 
ison  county  ;  and  continued  to  renew  it  as  often  as  I  visited  that 
country.  After  removing  to  Michigan,  I  paid  two  hundred  and 
forty  dollars  on  that  note,  from  the  avails  of  my  farm  which  I 
had  sold  in  Columbus,  canceling  for  ever  that  unfortunate  debt, 
and  removing  a  burden  from  my  mind,  which  had  oppressed  it 
for  thirty  years.  But  this  enterprise,  although  afllicting  in  the 
extreme,  taught  me  a  lesson  that  I  have  never  forgotten,  and  I 
trust  I  never  shall  forget ;  and  that  is,  never  again  to  involve 
myself  in  another  such  debt  by  tampering  in  the  publication  of 
books,  and  incurring  responsibilities  with  no  other  means  to.  sat- 
isfy the  same  than  the  sale  of  books. 

In  the  fail  of  1816,  having  recovered  my  health  and  spirits, 
I  resumed  my  ministerial  labors  with  renewed  zeal.  It  seemed 
as  though  I  had  lost  lime  in  my  Master's  employ;  and  I  felt  un- 
der special  obligation  to  redeem  it  as  soon  as  possible.  Although 
I  was  generally  engaged  on  the  Sabbath  with  the  society  in 
Hamilton,  and  laborers  had  so  multiplied  in  that  country  as  to 
supply  all  the  organized  societies  a  portion  of  the  time  at  least, 
yet  I  traveled,  during  the  latter  part  of  the  fall  and  in  .the  win. 
ter,  several  times  over  most  parts  of  the  counties  of  Madison, 
Chenango,  and  Otsego ;  and  more  or  less  in  Oneida  and  Herki- 
mer, delivering  lectures  and  holding  conferences  in  different 
towns  and  neighborhoods  ;  and  an  increased  interest  was  man- 
ifested in  most  places.  In  the  town  of  Norwich,  particularly, 
uJiei'e  was  more  llian  ordinary  attention  given  to  the  preached 


230  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

word,  and  a  very  important  conversion  in  one  instance,  at  least, 
was  effected.  John  S.  Flagler,  Esq.,  one  of  the  judges  of  the 
court  in  Chenango  county,  and  who  has  long  since  been  known 
as  an  able  advocate  of  the  doctrine  of  unlimited  grace  and  sal- 
vation, had  been  a  most  bigoted  Calvinist,  and  a  violent  and  bit- 
ter opposer  of  Universalism.  But,  from  some  cause,  he  was  in- 
duced to  attend  the  meetings,  became  interested,  bis  prejudices 
wore  away,  entered  earnestly  into  ah  investigation  of  the  doc- 
trine, trying  it  by  the  only  infallible  standard ;  found  it  to  be  a 
revealed  truth,  and  embraced  it  with  a  full  heart.  He  requested 
me  to  deliver  a  lecture  in  his  house ;  and,  in  the  month  of  April 
following,  (1817,)  I  was  enabled  to  comply  with  his  request. 
He  had  the  influence  to  collect  a  pretty  numerous  congregation; 
and,  at  the  close  of  the  discourse,  he  arose  and  addressed  the 
people,  with  great  animation  and  zeal,  nearly  as  long  as  I  had 
spoken,  advocating  the  great  principles  of  the  doctiine,  illustra- 
ting its  moral  influence,  and  urging  the  importance  of  an  exam- 
ination into  its  merits  and  claims.  After  the  congregation  had 
retired,  he  said  tome,  "Brother  Stacy,  not  three  years  ago,"  (he 
was  living  in  a  house  probably  about  three  years  old,)  "not  three 
years  ago,  I  said  that  my  doors  were  open,  and  my  house  free 
to  hold  meetings  in  for  any  denomination,  except  Universalists ; 
but'they  should  never  darken  my  doors  :  now  God,  in  his  prov- 
idence, has  so  ordered  it  that  you  are  the  first  preacher  who  has 
ever  holden  a  meeting  in  my  house."  Immediately  after  that, 
Judge  Flagler  appointed  conference  meetings  in  his  own  house, 
and  in  different  places  in  the  neighborhood,  in  which  he  uni- 
formly took  the  lead.  His  meetings  soon  began  to  excite  quite 
an  interest,  and  he  extended  them  to  a  greater  distance,  discours- 
ing more  freely  and  expansively  until  he  got  to  preaching  in 
good  earnest ;  and,  if  my  memory  is  not  too  treacherous,  he 
received  a  letter  of  fellowship  within  two  yeare  as  a  preacher  of 
that  "  faith  which  he  once  destroyed." 

There  was  a  large  and  thrifty  neighborhood  in  the  town  of 
Hamilton,  settled  principally  with  emigrants  from  Colchester,  in 
Connecticut ;  so  much  so  that  it  received  the  cognomen  of  Col- 
Chester.  A  large  majority  of  these  people  became  early  attend- 
ants on  the  Universaiist  meetings.  They  "  Heard  the  word  with 
all  readiness  of  mind,  and  searched  the  Scriptures  daily,  to  see 
whether  these  things  were  so,"  consequently  embraced  the  doc- 
trine, and  constituted  a  large  and  valuable  portion  of  the  Uni- 
versaiist society.  They  were  an  affectionate,  friendly,  social 
people,  and  often  made  visits  to,  and  received  visits  ft'om,  their 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  281 

native  land.  And  whenever  their  friends  from  Connecticut 
made  them  visits,  they  were  very  sure  to  induce  them  to  attend 
religious  service  with  them.  By  that  means,  in  the  course  of  the 
twelve  years  that  I  had  resided  in  Hamilton,  a  very  considerable 
number  of  converts  had  been  made  of  persons  who  resided  in 
old  Colchester  ;'  and  they  had  importuned  me  to  make  them  a 
visit,  and  introduce  this  strange  doctrine  into  that  "  land  of  steady 
habits."  Several  letters  had  passed  between  us  on  the  subject. 
I  had  referred  them  to  preachers  much  nearer  them,  and  of  far 
superior  talents,  but  to  no  purpose  ;  they  had  never  heard  any 
one  but  myself  preach  the  doctrine  of  Universal  Salvation,  and 
hardly  believed  any  other  person  could  preach  it.  I  eventually 
came  to  the  conclusion,  notwithstanding  the  distance  was  over 
three  hundred  miles,  and,  in  a  manner,  in  the  vicinity  of  older 
and  abler  preachers,  that  it  was  possible  the  Lord  bad  a  work 
for  me  to  do,  even  in  Connecticut ;  and  I  would  therefore  "  Take 
up  my  cross  and  follow"  on.  I  wrote  to  them,  and  made  an 
appointment.  Consequently,  after  the  session  of  our  Associa- 
tion, which  met  this  year,  (1817,)  in  Marcellus,  I  arranged  my 
concerns  for  the  tour,  and  started  on  my  mission. 

On  my  way,  I  called  and  spent  one  Sunday  with  Mr.  Flagg, 
who  was  then  preaching  to  the  society  in  Hudson,  and  received 
from  him  a  letter  of  introduction  to  a  gentleman  in  Hartford. 
I  arrived  at  Hartford  about  noon  on  Friday^  and*  on  presenting 
my  letter,  was  requested  to  give  them  a  discourse.  I  informed 
the  friend  of  my  engagement  in  Colchester  on  the  next  Sabbath, 
but  if  he  could  get  a  congregation  that  evening,  I  would  cheer- 
fully give  them  a  discourse.  He  said  there  was  sufficient  time, 
he  would  send  a  messenger  to  a  few  friends  out  of  the  city,  no 
tify  a  few  more  in  the  city,  and  then,  by  ringing  the  bell,  there 
would  be  a  good  congregation  at  early  candle-lighting.  They 
held  the  meeting  in  what  they  called  the  South  Presbyterian 
meeting-house.  In  the  afternoon  I  walked  with  him  through  the 
city,  and  was  introduced  to  a  few  friends.  No  Universalist  so- 
ciety had  ever  been  organized  in  Hartford,  although  they  had 
had  occasional  preaching  from  the  days  of  Winchester,  who  fin- 
ished his  valuable  life  in  that  city  ;  and  there  were  quite  a  num- 
ber of  believers  in  and  about  it.  In  due  season  the  bell  rang, 
we  repaired  to  the  church  where  a  numerous  congregation  was 
in  waiting,  and  I  very  gladly  delivered  my  message.  Early 
the  next  morning  I  proceeded  on  my  way.  But,  on  my  return, 
I  was  not  a  little  amused  to  hear  the  remarks  which  had  been 
made  about  me  and  my  discourse,  by  those   who  had  heard  it. 


282  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

Tliere  were  not  probably  twenty  persons,  in  the  congregation  of 
several  hundred,  who  had  any  previous  knowledge  of  my  senti- 
ments. I  delivered  a  pDiiitedly  doctrinal  discourse,  as  was  my 
general  custom  in  those  days,  but  did  not  distinctly  call  it  Uni- 
versalism.  My  congregation  was  a  mixture  of  all  sects ;  and 
they  all  claimed  the  discourse  as  the  annunciation  of  their  own 
doctrine,  and  me  as  a  preacher  of  their  own  order.  The  Pres- 
byterians were  confident  I  could  be  nothing  else  but  a  Presby- 
terian, the  Methodists  knew  the  doctrine  was  genuine  Method- 
ism, the  Baptists  fait  certain  I  was  a  Baptist  preacher,  and  the 
Universalists,  whether  they  had  any  previous  knowledge  of  my 
sentiments  or  not,  were  well  satisfied  with  the  discourse.  My 
friend,  who  was  rather  humorous,  had  made  himself  some  sport 
with  it,  and  wanted  very  much  that  I  should  deliver  another  dis- 
course ;  but  my  time  would  not  allow  of  it.  I  told  him  to  tell 
the  people  that  names  were  indifferent  things  with  me  ;  if  they 
liked  the  discourse  they  were  welcome  to  baptize  it  by  the  name 
which  best  pleased  them  ;  all  I  would  ask  was  for  them  to  prac- 
tice its  moral  teachings. 

I  arrived  at  the  house  of  the  friend  with  whom  I  had  corres- 
ponded in  Colchester  on  Saturday  afternoon  ;  and  it  relieved 
his  mind  of  great  solicitude.  He  had  given  extensive  publicity 
to  the  appointment,  not  only  in  Colchester  but  in  the  adjacent 
towns,  which  had  cheated  considerable  excitement,  and  he  gave 
himself  some  uneasiness  lest  providential  hindrance  should  dis- 
appoint their  expectations.  No  meeting-house  could  be  obtained 
for  the  Sabbath,  but  he  had  appointed  the  meeting  in  a  large 
dwelling-house,  which  would  accommodate  double  the  number 
of  people  that  could  find  room  in  any  school-house  in  all  the 
country.  Sunday  morning  opened  fair — the  second  Sunday  in 
July — the  sun  shone  with  brilliancy,  and  nature,  clothed  in  her 
richest  summer  livery,  inspired  cheerfulness  and  thanksgiving 
to  the  great  Author  of  our  being.  My  friend  was  under  great 
excitement — early  clad  himself  in  his  Sunday  habiliments,  and 
walked  the  floor,  impatient  for  the  hour  of  meeting  to  arrive. 
At  length  he  stopped  in  the  middle  of  the  floor,  and  turning  to 
me  said,  "Such  a  morning  as  this  never  before  dawned  on  old 
Colchester."  "  It  is  truly  a  very  pleasant  morning,"  I  replied. 
"  But,"  said  he,  "  that  is  not  what  I  mean.  We  have  had  many 
as  bright  and  as  pleasant  mornings  as  this,  in  respect  to  weather, 
but  there  never  was  a  day  before  when  the  truth  was  to  be 
preached  in  Colchester!"  The  to-him-tardy  hours  rolled 
along,  and  at  length  brought  the  time  of  service.      We  repair- 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  283 

ed  to  the  appointed  house,  where  a  very  large  congregatioQ 
assembled  from  all  the  surrounding  towns,  and  filled  every 
space  in  the  lower  part  of  the  house  ;  so  that  I  had  to  stand  as 
near  the  center  as  I  could  find  a  spot,  and  raise  my  voice  to 
its  utmost  pitch,  to  enable  the  people  in  the  diflferent  rooms  to 
hear.  Not  a  tithe  -of  them  ever  heard  the  doctrine  preached 
before,  or  even  read  anything  about  it ;  but  they  had  heard 
that  there  was  a  preacher  of  some  new  and  strange,  passing 
strange  doctrine  ^oing  to  hold  forth  that  day,  at  the  house  of 
Capt.  Pratt,  in  Colchester,  and  curiosity  had  drawn  together 
ihis  multitude,  and  fastened  their  attention  during  the  whole 
exercise  ;  and  strange  "to  relate.  I  met  with  no  attack  at  the 
close  of  the  exercise,  and  heard  no  scolding  nor  grumbling  ! 
This  was  the  first  discourse  ever  delivered  in  Colchester,  by  a 
Universalist. 

I  remained  in  this  section  long  enough  to  preach  in  Colches- 
ter three  Sundays,  and  in  the  intermediate  days  lectured  in 
several  different  neighborhoods  in  this  town,  and  in  the  towns 
of  Hebron,  Lebanon,  and  West  Hampton  ;  and  on  my  return, 
I  delivered  lectures  in  Glastenbury  and  Winstead,  Conn.  ; 
preached  one  Sunday  in  Amenia,  Duchess  Co.,  N^  Y. ;  and 
lectured  in  the  town  of  Northeast,  and  in  the  city  of  Hudson. 
But  before  leaving  Colchester,  I  engaged,  Providence  per- 
mitting, to  make  them  another  visit  in  the  course  of  the  next 
year. 

I  had  but  a  few  days  to  remain  at  home  with  my  family,  be- 
fore it  became  necessary  to  start  on  another  tour  of  two  hun- 
dred miles  to  the  west.  The  "  Genesee  Branch"  was  to  hold 
its  session  on  the  first  Wednesday  and  Thursday  in  September, 
at  Buffalo.  Mr.  S.  R.  Smith,  young,  ardent,  zealous,  and 
faithful,  had  penetrated  into  this  country,  and  even  as  far  as 
Chautauque  county,  publishing  the  glad  tidings  of  the  Great 
Salvation  ;  and  had  planted  the  standard  of  God's  Universal 
Grace  in  that  new,  but  then  fast  settling  country.  In  Buffalo, 
which  was  then  just  recovering  from  its  conflagration  and  total 
desolation  in  the  late  war,  he  had  collected  a  small  band  who 
had  applied  successfully  for  the  session  of  the  Association,  and  I 
had  given  encouragement  of  attendance ;  and,  abour  the  25th 
of  August,  started  on  .this  journey.  Mr.  Calvin  Morton,  who 
had  a  few  vears  before  this  moved  into  the  State  of  New 
York,  had  taken  up  his  residence  in  the  south  part  of  Canan- 
daigua,  and  was  itinerating  and  preaching  in  that  country. 
I  called  on  him,  and  he  accompanied  me.     In  Le  Roy  we  found 


284  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

Mr.  C.  G.  Person  on  his  way  thither  ;  and  subsequently  fell  in 
company  with  Mr.  Root,  and  Mr.  Whitnal — we  then  traveled 
in  company  to  Buffalo,  where  we  met  Mr.  Smith. 

I  may  here  correct  a  prevailing  error,  in  regard  to  Mr.  Mor- 
ton, as  well,  I  think,  as  to  let  it  always  remain  uncorrected. 
By  some  unaccountable  means,  our  brethren  have  obtained  an 
idea  that  Mr.  Morton  was  a  Baptist  preacher  before  he  em- 
braced Universalism  ;  such  was  not  the  case.  Mr.  M.  and  I 
were  natives  of  the  same  state,  and  from  adjacent  towns. 
He  began  his  ministry  about  the  same  time  as  myself,  preaching 
occasionally  in  the  town  of  New  Salem,  where  he  married 
his  first  wife,  with  whom  I  was  acquainted.  He  commenced 
a  Universalist.  I  will  not  dare  affirm  that  he  never  belonged 
to  a  Baptist  church,  but  I  am  strongly  impressed  with  a  belief 
that  he  never  did.  For  some  reason  he  did  not  see  fit  to  devote 
his  whole  time  to  the  ministry,  as  I  did,  at  that  time.  For 
some  years  he  was  out  of  my  knowledge,  and  until  he  buried 
his  first  wife.  After  he  lost  his  first  wife,  who  was  educated 
a  Baptist,  and  I  conclude  never  became  a  believer  in  his  doc- 
trine, he  resumed  his  ministry,  worked  his  way  from  Vermont, 
where,  it  appears,  he  had  resided  for  some  years,  into  this 
State,  and  eventually  reached  the  region  of  my  residence.  He 
remained  in  this  country  some  time,  and  having  become  ac- 
quainted with  a  widow  lady,  a  good  woman,  whom  he  desired 
for  a  companion,  with  her  consent  I  united  their  hands. 

An  incident  occurred  while  on  our  journey  to  Buffalo,  suffi- 
ciently  amusing  to  occupy  a  brief  space  in  these  memoirs, 
while  it  illustrates  the  principles  with  which  some  professed 
preachers  of  the  Gospel  enter  upon  that  solemn  and  holy  voca- 
tion. A  scotch  Presbyterian  clergyman,  somewhat  past  the 
meridian  of  life,  fell  in  with  our  company,  and  traveled  with 
us  the  major  part  of  one  day.  At  every  place  where  we 
stopped  to  refresh  ourselves  or  animals,  he  also  stopped,  and 
was  very  sociable  ;  made  many  inquiries  about  our  doctrine, 
our  denominational  order,  &c.,  and  long  before  night  mani- 
fested a  pretty  strong  faith  in  the  final  holiness  and  happiness 
of  the  whole  human  family  ;  and  we  began  to  congratulate 
ourselves  on  the  accession  of  an  able  and  learned  divine  to  our 
ranks.  He  and  Mr.  Whitnal  were  on  horse-back,  and  the  rest 
of  us  rode  in  carriages  of  some  sort;  they,  consequently,  could 
have  conversation  while  traveling  ;  and  toward  the  latter  part 
of  the  day,  after  he  had  pretty  well  satisfied  himself  in  regard 
to  every  other  matter  of  our  order,  he  inquired  of  Mr.^Whit- 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL     STACY.  285 

nal  what  pecuniary  encouragements  a  man  of  talents  would 
be  likely  to  find,  by  entering  our  denomination  as  a  preacher. 
Mr.  W.  had  become  pretty  well  aware  that  he  was  follow- 
ing more  for  the  sake  of  the  "  loaves  and  fishes,"  than  for  any 
love  of  the  truth ;  and  had  learned  that  he  was  destitute  of  a 
situation,  and  was  then  in  search  of  one.  He  answered  by 
telling  him,  that  if  he  could  afford  to  clothe  himself,  furnish  his 
own  means  of  traveling,  and  bear  his  own  expenses,  and 
preach  every  day  without  receiving  a  cent  for  his  labor,  he 
would  do  for  a  Universalist  preacher,  but  not  without.  "Ah!" 
said  the  old  gentleman,  "  I'll  not  join  ye  then  ;"  and  soon  left 
our  company. 

During  this  tour,  which  occupied  about  one  month,  besides 
attending  the  Association  in  Buffalo,  I  held  meetings  in  the 
towns  of  Le  Roy,  Bloomfield,  Riga,  Pittsford,  Penfield,  On- 
tario, Bristol,  and  Manchester,  besides  attending  two  funerals, 
one  in  Pittsford  and  the  other  in  Manchester. 

This  and  the  following  year,  (1817-'18,)  were  remarkable 
for  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  movements  ever  known  among 
Universalists,  in  Central  New  York,  or  perhaps  in  the  United 
States  of  America,  or  even  in  the  known  world.  From  our 
earliest  organization  in  Hamilton,  we  had  been  in  the  habit  of 
holding  social  evening  conferences,  in  the  fall  and  winter,  when 
the  evenings  were  of  sufficient  length,  for  singing,  prayer,  and 
exhortation,  and  for  religious  discussion.  At  times  we  adopted 
the  practice  of  giving  out,  at  the  close  of  the  meeting,  a  passage 
of  Scripture  for  examination  at  the  next  meeting  ;  and,  at  other 
times,  let  each  or  any  individual  introduce  such  passage  as 
struck  his  mind  at  the  time.  These  meetings  proved  vastly  pro- 
fitable, by  enlightening  the  minds  of  inquirers,  confirming  the 
waverino;,  strensthenino;  believers,  and  enlivenino;  and  exhilara- 
ting  all.  They  were  generally  well  attended  by  Universalists, 
and  not  unfrequently  engaged  the  attention  of  non-professors, 
and  sometimes  even  of  opposers.  They  were  generally  held 
at  the  center  of  the  town,  or  in  the  neighborhood  of  my  own 
residence,  one  mile  from  the  center.  In  the  fall  of  1817,  as 
usual,  our  conferences  were  commenced.  No  unusual  excite- 
ment was  at  first  manifested,  and  no  uncommon  exertions  made 
to  induce  people  to  attend.  But  in  the  course  of  a,  few  weeks 
an  unusual  interest  seemed  to  prevail,  large  numbers  flocked 
in,  and  a  greater  freedom  of  speech  was  abundantly  manifest. 
Requests  were  frequently  made  for  meetings  of  the  kind  to  be 
held  in  other  parts  of  the  town.     Soon  the  report  became  cir- 


S86  MEMOIRS   OF   THE 

culaled,  to  the  astonishment  of  the  other  sects,  that  there  was  a 
revival  of  religion  among  the  Universalists  !  Such  a  thing  had 
been  confidently  denied,  by  the  professedly  religious  world,  as 
ever  having  taken  place,  and  as  confidently  pronounced  impos- 
sible, under  the  preaching  of  that  doctrine.  Curiosity,  there- 
fore, if  nothing  else,  prompted  people  of  other  sects  to  come  in 
and  see  what  was  being  done  ;  and  the  Methodists  soon  caught 
Ihe  true  spirit  of  the  meeting,  and  joined,  heart  and  hand,  in  the 
exercises. 

They  lost  all  the  obnoxious  points  in  their  sectarian  creed ; 
no  terrors,  no  thunderings  of  Almighty  wrath,  no  flashings  of 
hell-flames,  nor  groans  of  hopeless  despair  from  the  dark  re- 
gions of  the  damned,  were  heard,  either  in  their  exhortations, 
or  in  their  prayers  or  songs  ;  but  all  was  love,  the  boundless 
love  of  God  to  sinners,  the  universal  atonement  of  Christ,  the 
unchangeable  will  of  God  for  the  salvation  of  the  whole  world, 
the  amplitude  of  Divine  grace,  &c.  "  The  middle  walls  of  par* 
tition"  were  completely  broken  down  between  us;  and  so 
pleased,  edified,  and  animated,  and  so  perfectly  at  home  in  our 
meetings  were  they,  that  they  even  attended  our  services  on 
the  Sabbath,  expressed  their  approbation  of  the  doctrine  they 
heard,  and  many  of  them  united  in  communion.  Some  of  the 
Baptists  came  in,  but  were  a  litttle  more  cautious  ;  and  the 
Presbyterians,  after  a  few  casual  calls,  came  en  masse,  with 
Iheir  clergyman  at  their  head. 

I  had  lived  long  enough  in  Hamilton  to  witness  the  third 
Presbyterian*  clergyman  settle  there,  as  pastor  of  the  church. 
Mr.  Moulton,  their  present  pastor,  was  an  emigrant  from  Mas- , 
sachusetts  ;  and,  when  he  settled  in  Hamilton,  promised  them 
Ihat  he  would  very  soon  explode  Universalism,  and  annihilate 
the  church  and  society  in  that  place;  and  his  ostentatious  bra- 
gadocia  produced  a  correspondence  between'him  and  myself, 
which  resulted  in  a  more  friendly  course  than  either  of  his  pre- 
decessors had  pursued.  But  now  he  came  into  the  conference 
meeting,  took  a  dictatorial  attitude,  seating  himself  on  the  table, 
and  without  any  invitation  from  those  who  had  previously  and 
constantly  attended  the  meetings,  assumed  the  head  of  the  ser- 
vices ;  and  was  not  so  careful  in  withholding  doctrines  conflict- 
ing with  Universalism,  as  the  Methodists  had  been.  His  con- 
duct grieved  many,  and  highly  offended  our  Methodist  friends ; 
and  on   Sunday  morning,   several  of  them  came  to  me  and  re- 

*  The  government  of  tiie  church  Was  Congregational— the  doctrine  Calvinism. 


LIFE    OF    KEV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  2S7 

quested  that  I  would  appoint  a  conference  on  some  other  eve^ 
ning  of  the  week,  especially  for  Universalists  and  Methodists  ; 
hoping  thereby  that  Mr.  M.  wouLl  take  the  hint,  and  not  inter- 
fere with  our  services.  1  told  them,  I  could  not  do  it.  But  if 
they  wished,  I  would  appoint  a  conference  on  another  evening 
in  the  week,  though  1  could  not  be  exclusive  ;  it  must  be  open  for 
all  who  wished  to  attend  ;  I  therefore  made  the  appointment^ 
saying  at  the  same  time  it  was  for  Methodists,  Universalists  and 
everybody  else  who  wished  to  attend,  professor  or  non- professor, 
of  all  denominations,  or  no  denomination. 

It  had  the  desired  effect  ;   for  neither  Mr.  M.,  nor  any  of  his 
church  attended  that  m'eeting  nor  any  subsequent  meeting  of  the 
new  conference.     Mr.  M.  kept  up  the  old  conference  for  a  short 
time  ;   but  the  Methodists  immediately    abandoned  it,   and  the 
Universalists  and  those  of  no  sect  dropped  off  one  after  another, 
until  it    entirely  dwindled  away  -,  Mr.  M.  became  vexed,  and 
called  it  all  the  work  of  the  devil,  declared  he  would  never  at- 
tend another  conference,  and  raved  like  a  madman.      The  other 
conference  meeting   increased  in  interest  and  numbers  ;  con- 
ferences were  also  held  weekly  in  other  parts  of  the  town  ;  and 
I  had  frequent  requests  to  deliver  lectures  in  different  neighbor- 
hoods, all  of  which  were  attended  to  overflowing.     The  Metho- 
dists would  come  in  crowds,  and  their  preachers,  at  every  pos- 
sible opportunity,  would  cheerfully  lend  a  helping  hand,  main- 
tainingthe  strictest  caution,  in  all  their  services,  not  to  advance 
a  single   sentiment  conflicting  with  the  doctrine  of  God's  uni- 
versal grace.     Indeed,  they  neither  felt  nor  thought  of  opposi- 
tion.     Their  whole  theme  was  love;   and  ihey  dwelt  upon  it 
with  all  the  fervor  that  the  superabounding  love  of  God  in  the 
soul  inspires.     We  felt,  we  talked,  and  worshiped,  for  almost  two 
years,  as  one  people.     During  this  union  season,  the  presiding 
Elder  of  the  district,  Mr.   Barnes,    called  on   me,   saying  he 
wanted  to  hold  a  quarterly  meeting  in  Hamilton,  and  asked  if  I 
thought  the  Congregationalist  meeting-house  could  be  obtained 
for  the  occasion.     1  told  him  I  thought  it  doubtful ;  but  said  I, 
"  Although  it  will  do  no  good  for   me  to  intercede  for  you,  or 
show  any  favor  to  you  on  the  occasion,  you  may  still  offer  them 
the   school-house  where  we  hold  our  meetings  for  the  Sabbath, 
which   will  amply  accommodate  their   congregation  ;  for   we 
shall  hold  no  separate  meeting,  but  worship  with  you."    He  ap- 
plied for  the  meeting-house,  but,  as  I  anticipated,  was  refused — ■ 
"Don't  give  up  the  ship,"  said  a  bigoted  old  member,  and  they 
all  heartily  responded  to  the  sentiment. 


288  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

But  a  barn,  in  the  neighborhood,  was  nearly  empty,  which 
was  obtained  for  the  Sunday  meeting,  although  it  was  the  first 
part  of  the  month  of  March.  They  held  their  watch-meeting 
and  previous  exercises  in  the  school-house  ;  and  the  day  being 
warm  and  pleasant  for  the  season,  a  vast  concourse  assembled 
in  the  barn  on  Sunday  to  attend  preaching.  The  whole  church 
and  society  of  Universalists  met  with  them,  and  not  one  word 
fell  from  the  lips  of  a  single  individual,  grating  to  the  feelings  of 
tlie  most  fastidious  of  our  sect.  I  was  requested  to  give  an  ex- 
hortation after  the  Elder's  sermon,  which  I  did,  and  a  pretty 
lengthy  one,  with  heart  and  soul. 

In  such  harmony  we  lived — and  thus  we  should  have  lived, 
for  aught  1  could  see,  time  without  measure,  had  not  a' good  old 
pious  (?)  Methodist  preacher,  (Elder  Dewey,)  from  a  distance, 
come  along,  and  "rebuked  them  sharply"  for^ their  temerity, 
and  told  them  that  they  were  beside  themselves — they  would  all 
soon  be  Universalists — and  shut  up  the  bars,  charging  them  not 
again  to  pull  them  down  on  their  peril.  But  the  poor  man  was 
a  little  too  late;  for  by  leaving  them  down  as  he  had,  a  large 
number  of  his  sheep  had  escaped  from  the  fold,  which  he  could 
neither  call,  nor  drive  back  ;  they  had  found  a  safer  fold,  and 
richer  feed  which  they  would  not'ieave  for  the  scanty  and  unsa- 
vory fare  they  had  heretofore  tried  to  live  upon. 

But  the  climax  of  the  story  is  not  yet  completed.  After  Mr. 
Moulton's  conference  had  dwindled  away,  and  he  had  entirely 
abandoned  it,  I  could  hear  of  his  making  very  uncharitable  re- 
marks about  myself,  and  the  Methodists,  our  meetings,  &c.; 
but  I  saw  nothing  of  him  until  one  Saturday  previous  to  com- 
munion  in  the  Universalist  church.  It  was  our  practice,  uni- 
formly,  to  hold  a  preparatory  meeting  on  Saturday  before  com- 
munion, which  was  opened  by  a  short  discourse,  and  then  a  so- 
cial conference  ensued,  in  which  every  member  took  a  part, 
and  generally,  without  exception,  had  something  to  say.  It 
was  early  in  the  month  of  February,  a  cold,  stormy  day,  and 
few,  if  any,  besides  members  of  the  church  were  present,  and 
not  all  of  them  were  present.  I  commenced  service  in  tlie 
usual  form  ;  and  at  the  close  of  the  first  prayer,  I  noticed  a 
man  standing  with  his  head  leaning  against  the  mantle,  wluo 
looked  like  Mr.  M.  I  felt  quite  surprised,  having  so  frequent- 
ly heard  of  his  invidious  expressions  in  reference  to  us,  and 
our  meetings,  and  kept  my  eye  upon  him  until  he  turned  around 
— and  seeing  it  was  the  identical  man,  I  spoke  to  him,  and  in- 
vited him  to  take  a  seat  by  my  side.     This,  however,  he  mo- 


LIFE   OF    REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  289 

destly  declined,  and  seated  himself  near  where  he  stood. 
While  proceeding  with  my  discourse,  I  noticed  that  Mr.  M.'m 
countenance  was  very  expressive  of  emotion,  and  tears  oftea 
gathered  in  his  eyes.  The  discourse  closed,  and  I  observed, 
"There  is  now  opportunity  for  remarks,  or  exhortation  ;  and  I 
hope  that  freedom  of  utterance  may  be  given,  and  improved. 
Mr.  M.,  this  is  a  free  meeting;  if  you  have  aught  on  your 
mind,  any  thing  to  say  to  us,  I  hope,  sir,  that  you  will  use  your 
liberty."  He  very  civilly  thanked  me,  and  said  he  surely 
would.  Some  one  called  for  the  reading  of  the  church  plat- 
form and  covenant.  It  was  complied  with,  and  Mr.  M.  gave 
very  serious  attention  to  it.  On  the  first  establishment  of  the 
church,  the  profession  of  faith  adopted  by  the  General  Conven- 
tion  in  New  England  was  adopted  by  the  church;  but  subse- 
quently that  had  been  expunged,  and  the  short  apostolic  creed, 
"  We  believe  that  Jesus  Oliristis  the  son  of  God,"  substituted  ; 
and  this,  and  nothing  else — no  more — constituted  the  only 
written  creed  of  the  church.  This  attracted  Mr.  M.'s  special 
attention.  He  made  several  inquiries,  appeared  rather  pleased, 
and  seemed  well  satisfied  with  the  answers  given  to  his  in- 
quiries. 

The  conference  was  a  lively  one — the  brethren  and  sisters 
felt  a  great  degree  of  freedom,  though  our  numbers  were  com- 
paratively small,  and  there  was  no  "  silence,"  not  even  "  for  the 
space  of  half  an  hour,"  in  our  meeting.  Mr.  M.  manifested 
quite  a  degree  of  sensibility  through  the  whole  meeting,  but 
said  no  more  until  near  night,  when  he  arose  and  spoke  near- 
ly to  the  following  effect :  "  Brethren" — this  was  a  new  appella- 
tion to  us,  when  addressed  by  a  Presbyterian,  especially  Mr.  M,, 
who  had  been  so  free  in  the  use  of  opprobrious  epithets,  and  it 
aroused  feelings  to  the  highest  pitch  of  astonishment — "Brethren, 
I  arise  simply  to  say,  that  I  am  under  the  necessity  of  leaving 
the  meeting  ;  1  have  business  to  attend  to,  and  it  is  nearly  night. 
I  have  troubled  you  with  this  remark,  lest  any  one  should  think 
I  left  the  meeting  dissatisfied.  It  is  not  so  ;  I  have  been  edi- 
fied, and  should  like  to  stay  longer,  but  I  can  not ;  and,  breth- 
ren and  sisters,  we  have  all  a  duty  to  do  for  ourselves;  it  is 
our  duty  to  worship  God,  and  let  us  all  see  to  it  that  we  wor- 
ship him  acceptably."  He  then  left  the  house,  with  tears  in 
his  eyes.  Some  remarks  were  made  concerning  him,  but  all 
ivere  satisfied  that  some  unusual  work  was  going  on  in  his 
mind  ;  and  none  could  divine  what  would  be  the  result. 

The  next  day  was  fair  and  pleasant  for  the  season,  the 
s 


290  MEMOIRS   OF   THE 

sleighing  good,  and  at  an  early  hour  the  house  was  thronged-— 
crowded  to  excess.  It  was  our  uniform  custom  to  attend  the 
communion  at  the  close  of  the  morning  service.  The  bread 
had  been  broken  and  the  elements  distributed,  and  a  hymn  had 
been  read  with*  which  to  close  the  festival  ;  the  choir  were 
standing  with  books  in  their  hands,  when  a  Methodist  sister^ 
who  had  partaken  with  us,  having  received  Scripture  measure;, 
full  and  shaken  dotcn,  it  ran  over,  and  the  tongue  of  eloquence 
had  to  relieve  the  surcharged  heart.  She  spoke  of  her  feel- 
ings when  she  first  removed  into  the  town,  for  she  had  been  a 
resident  in  it  but  a  few  months  ;  of  her  inveterate  prejudices 
against  Universalism  ;  of  her  unwillingness  to  settle  in  the 
midst  of  such  an  immoral,  and  irreligious  people  •  of  the  fears 
of  the  demoralizing  influence  of  their  doctrine  and  example 
upon  her  family  ;  of  the  extreme  horror,  of  the  thought  that 
any  member  of  her  family  should,  hf  accident  or  otherwise,  be 
induced  to  attend  one  of  their  meetings,  and  of  the  alarm  she 
felt,  when  she  first  learned  that  one  of  her  family  had  ventured 
into  that  conventicle  of  infidelity  and  profanity  !  But  thanks 
be  to  God,  she  had  ventured  in  herself,  and  instead  of  hearing 
profanity,  and  witnessing  crime,  she  had  heard  the  Gospel  of 
the  blessed  God,  the  word  of  eternal  truth,  which  had  filled  her 
soul ;  and  instead  of  meeting  a  set  of  infidels,  scofTers  of  re- 
ligion, and  despisers  of  holy  things,  she  had  met  a  band  of  the 
true  followers  of  Christ,  united  alone  by  the  cords  of  Divine 
love,  and  practicing  its  fruits  in  works  of  pure  and  undefiled 
religion  ;  and  here  she  had  found  a  home,  a  home  dearer  to 
her  soul  than  she  had  ever  before  found  on  earth.  Every  soul 
was  full ;  and  the  house  continued  crowded  ;  very  few,  whose 
situations  were  peculiarly  uncomfortable,  had  left.  Every  heart 
was  moved  by  the  earnestness  of  her  discourse,  and  the  pathos 
of  her  manner  ;  a  tear  ofgratitude  glistened  in  each  eye,  and  a 
smile  of  complacency  beautified  each  countenance.  In  the 
midst  of  her  discourse,  I  noticed  a  movement  at  the  door  ;  the 
people  near  it  drew  back,  the  congregation  pressed  still  closer 
together,  as  if  to  make  room  for  others.  I  soon  saw  Mr.  Moul- 
ton  enter,  attended  by  a  number  of  the  most  influential  mem- 
bers of  his  church — thoughts,  wild,  confused,  heterogeneous, 
passed  like  lightning  through  my  mind,  which  stretched  itself 
beyond  measure  to  divine  the  cause  of  their  unexpected  and 
strange  adventure.  "  Perhaps  his  visit  is  designed  as  a  finale  to 
warn  us  for  the  last  time,  and  exhort  us  to  repentance ;  and  if 
we  will  not  take  heed,  to  anathematize  us,  in  the  presence   of 


LIFE   OF    REV.   NATHANIEL   STACY.  291 

those  who  attended  him,  in  the  name  of  the  God  of  Calvin- 
ism !  Well,  be  his  message  what  it  may,  Heaven  has  prepared 
us  for  it,  it  can  not  deeply  wound  us."  But  when  I  got  a  fair 
view  of  his  face,  and  called  to  remembrance  his  visit  the  day 
before,  I  became  satisfied  that  his  message  would  not  be  of  an 
unfriendly  character.  When  fairly  Avithin  the  door,  he  stopped 
until  the  v/oman  had  closed  her  discourse,  and  then  addressing 
me,  with  tears  flowing  freely  from  his  eyes,  he  said,  "  It  is  im- 
possible for  me  to  describe  the  feelings  I  have  experienced  for 
the  last  twenty-four  hours" — His  emotion  choked  his  utter- 
ance, and  there  was  not  a  dry  eye  among  the  hundreds  that 
filled  the  house — recovering,  he  resumed,  "  I  have  called  this 
the  work  of  the  devil — I  have  felt  hard,  and  said  many  hard 
things  against  it ;  I  have  been  stubborn,  and  strugoled  long 
against  it.  Forgive  me,  brethren,  I  have  seen  my  error  ;  God, 
in  mercy,  has  shown  it  to  me,  and  convinced  me  that  this  awa- 
kening, this  reformation,  is  his  work,  and  that  these  are  his 
children  ;  and  that  the  children  of  God  should  meet  together, 
they  should  not  be  divided.  I  have  not  attempted  to  preach  to- 
day, but  have  been  endeavoring  to  show  my  people  that  this  is 
a  reality,  and,  I  trust,  have  in  a  good  measure  succeeded  ;  and 
have  obtained  their  consent  to  have  a  union  meeting  in  the 
meeting-house  this  afternoon.  1  have  called  a  vote  in  my  con- 
gregation to  decide  the  question,  and  all  except  one  individual 
voted  for  it ;  and  we  will  not  be  angry  at  that  brother,  but  pray 
for  him."  He  had  hardly  closed  these  remarks,  when  a  shout, 
seemingly  from  every  voice  in  the  house,  that  appeared  to  reach 
the  heavens,  went  up,  of  "  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest.''  After 
a  moment's  pause,  Mr.  M.  resumed,  "  I  wish,  sir,  if  you  favor 
this  movement  of  my  own,  that  you  would  call  a  vote  in  5'^our 
congregation,  to  ascertain  whether  they  will  agree  to  it,  and 
come  over  to  the  meeting-house.  I  propose  the  meeting, 
house  because  it  will  hold  all  the  people  ;  whereas,  the  school- 
house  will  not.  1  do  not  mean  for  preaching,  but  for  a  social 
conference,  for  prayer,  and  for  exhortation  ;  and  to  speak  of  the 
great  things  that  God  has  done  for  us."  I  replied,  Br.  Moulton, 
1  have  no  occasion  to  call  a  vote,  1  vouch  for  every  individual 
who  attends  my  meeting  ;  it  is  what  we  all  have  long  desired, 
and  for  which  we  have  devoutly  prayed.  God  willing,  we  will 
meet  you  this  afternoon. 

Both  congregations  assembled  in  the  meeting-house  in  the  after- 
noon, with  the  exception  of  a  very  few  of  Mr.  M.'s  church  ;  for 
he  was  deceived,  there  were  three  or  four  of  his  church,  who 


292  MEMOIRS   OF    THE 

were  opposed  to  the  union  meeting,  and  did  not  attend  it.  Our 
meeting  tliat  afternoon  was  a  season  of  spiritual  devotion  ;  no 
root  of  bitterness  was  permitted  to  disturb  the  unity  of  our  feel- 
ings, "  Every  plant  that  our  heavenly  Father  had  not  planted," 
was  at  that  time  '•  plucked  up."  Mr.  M.  and  myself  sat  side 
by  side,  in  the  "  unity  of  the  spirit  and  in  the  bonds  of  peace," 
while  our  exhortations  and  our  prayers  were  manifestly  influ- 
enced by  the  same  spirit  and  embraced  the  same  subjects  ;  and 
it  was  evidently  one  of  the  happiest  seasons  for  both  congrega- 
tions that  they  ever  enjoyed.  Mr.  Moultontook  occasion,  in  the 
course  of  the  afternoon,  to  say,  "I  would  have  no  one  infer, 
from  the  course  I  have  taken,  that  1  have  changed  my  faith  ; 
but  I  am  beyond  particular  creeds,  and  am  resolved  to  unite  and 
worship  with  the  children  of  God,  wherever  1  can  find  them,  ir- 
respective of  their  peculiar  opinions."  And  so  he  was,  at  that 
time,  infinitely  beyond  the  creeds  of  all  limitarians  ;  he  had 
followed  his  celestial  conductor  into  the  "  waters  above  his  loin," 
and  was  now  delightfully  bathing  in  the  boundless  ocean  of 
God's  Love.  Oh,  the  bare  retrospection  of  the  scenes  of  that 
blessed  day,  though  at  so  distant  a  period,  fills  my  heart  with 
emotion,  and  starts  anew  the  fountain  of  my  soul ! 

The  news  of  the  miraculous  events  of  this  day  flew  like  wild 
fire,  through  the  instrumentality  of  both  friend  and  foe.  The 
disaffected  part  of  Mr.  M.'s  church  dispatched  messengers  to  all 
the  neighboring  clergy  of  the  denomination,  informing  them  of 
his  defection,  and  the  disorganizing  step  he  had  taken,  in  open- 
ing the  door  and  inviting  the  enemy,  in  full  force,  in  upon  them  ! 
And  shouts  of  joy  and  exultation,  and  angry  and  bitter  execra- 
tions, came  mingled  upon  every  passing  breeze.  A  letter  of  af- 
fectionate  congratulation  was  addressed  to  Mr.  M.  and  myself 
from  an  eminent  and  learned  friend,  who  was  then  a  preacher 
in  another  denomination  ;  and  it  seemed,  for  the  moment,  that  all 
the  walls  which  separated  the  different  denominations  tottered  to 
their  ver}^  foundations. 

We  enjoyed  one,  and  only  one  more  union  meeting.  The 
next  Wednesday  evening  was  our  weekly  conference  at  the 
centre  of  the  town.  We  began  to  assemble  at  the  school-house, 
as  usual,  but  soon  saw  the  necessity  of  a  larger  building,  and 
resorted  to  the  meeting-house,  which  was  soon  filled  with  scores, 
more  than  could  find  comfortable  seats.  The  Baptists,  forget- 
ting for  the  moment  th'eir  close  communion,  united  with  the 
rest;  Mr.  M.  was  yet  in  the  spirit,  and  the  Methodists  were 
alive  in  the  good  work.     One  preacher,  at  least,  of  each  denom- 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  298 

ination,  and  scores  of  laymen,  and  females  of  all  denomina- 
tions, lifted  up  their  voices  in  praise  and  thanksgiving  to  the  com- 
mon Father  of  all,  and  but  one  spirit  pervaded  the  whole  as- 
sembly— the  spirit  of  love  to  God  and  love  to  man.  The  joys 
of  this  blessed  season  amply  repaid  me  for  all  the  toils,  the  pri- 
vations and  sufferings  I  had  experienced,  in  proclaiming  the 
w^ord  of  life  to  the  world. 

But,  alas  for  my  friend  Moulton !  Little  did  he  think,  in  that 
season  of  transport  and  spiritual  enjoyment,  of  the  portentous 
cloud  which  was  already  gathering,  and  so  soon  to  burst  with 
its  seven-fold  thunders  upon  his  devoted  head.  He  was  then 
sincere,  honest  with  himself,  with  God  and  with  man.  He  veri- 
ly believed  he  was  following  the  dictates  of  the  spirit  of  God — 
and  so  he  was;  but  the  spirit  of  God,  and  the  spirit  of  Calvin- 
ism, are  very  different  things.  Had  he  possessed  the  fortitude 
to  have  breasted  the  storm,  he  would  soon  have  out-rode  the 
tempest,  into  the  calm  and  clear  light  of  eternal  truth  ;  and 
no  doubt  would  have  been  a  zealous  and  faithful  laborer  in  the 
unlimited  field  of  universal  philanthrophy.  But  alas !  he  had 
not  the  moral  courage  necessary  for  a  soldier  of  the  cross  ;  and 
was,  therefore,  driven  back,  by  the  fury  of  the  tempest  that  as- 
sailed him,  again  into  the  frigid  regions  of  Partialism  !  The 
very  day  following^he  conference,  he  was  called  upon  to  attend 
an  association  of  clergymen  in  a  neighboring  town,  and  there 
dealt  with  ;  and  the  only  satisfactory  atonement  he  could  make 
for  his  dereliction  of  duty,  was  to  read  a  written  confession  of 
his  guilt,  and  retraction  of  his  crime,  imputing  all  to  the  insti- 
gation of  the  devil,  before  his  church  on  the  very  next  Sabbath. 
But  it  proved  a  death-blow  to  Mr.  M.  and  the  church.  He 
soon  after  this  left  the  town,  and  wandered  from  place  to  place, 
never  remaining  long  in  one  location,  until  he  died. 

Some  of  the  members  of  the  church,  and  many  of  the  con- 
gregation immediately  separated  from  that  meeting,  and  entirely 
from  the  denomination  ;  and  although  they  settled  another 
minister  after  Mr.  M.  left  them,  they  never  recovered  from  the 
stroke,  but  continued  to  dwindle  away,  until  there  were  not 
enough  left  to  support  preaching.  And  they  have  long  since 
become  entirely  extinct  as  a  church,  and  their  meeting-house 
pulled  down  and  removed  to  another  part  of  the  town  ;  and  a 
Universalist  meeting-house  has  been  erected  near  the  place 
where  it  stood. 

I  do  not  believe  this  to  have  been  the  time  spoken  of  by  Joel, 
the  prophet — "  When  your  young  men  shall  see  visions,  and 


294  MEMOIRS  OF    THE 

your  old  men  shall  dream  dreams,  &c.,  for  two  reasons  :  first, 
because  I  do  not  consider  the  events  of  sufficient  importance  to 
be  distinctly  seen  by  ancient  prophets";  and  secondly,  and  more 
surely,  because  the  inspired  Peier  has  informed  us,  that  was  the 
time  of  the  miraculous  pouring  out  of  the  spirit  on  the  day  of 
pentecost,  immediately  after  the  ascension  of  our  Lord.  And 
I  am  ready  to  appeal  to  those  who  have  been  best  acquainted 
with  me,  for  the  establishment  of  the  fact,  that  I  am  not  a  vis- 
ion&iy  ;  although  possessing  something  of  an  excitable  tem- 
perament, yet  I  was  never  subject  thereby  to  be  thrown  from 
the  balance  of  reason,  and  brought  under  the  superstitious  in- 
fluence of  signs  and  omens,  so  as  to  be  terrified  with  fearful 
forebodings,  or  fanatically  elated  with  future  prospects.  Nev- 
ertheless, I  must  confess  that  I  had  dreams,  immediately  pre- 
ceding and  during  the  progress  of  the  events  which  I  have  re- 
corded, which  made  vivid  impressions  on  my  mind  at  the  time — 
unusually  so — and  it  so  accurately  received  fulfilment  in  sub- 
sequent events,  that  1  should  violate  my  consciousness  of  duty 
did  I  not  mention  them. 

Elihu,  the  Buzite,  says,  "  For  God  speaketh  once,  yea  twice, 
yet  man  perceiveth  it  not.  In  a  dream,  in  visions  of  the  night, 
when  deep  sleep  falleth  upon  men,  in  slumberings  upon  the  bed  ; 
then  openeth  he  the  ears  of  men,  and  sealetkinstruction."  But 
the  prophet,  although  he  has  by  no  means  forbidden  the  re- 
lation of  dreams,  has  cautioned  us  against  putting  too  much 
confidence  in  them.  "  The  prophet  that  hath  a  dream,  let  him 
tell  a  dream  ;  and  he  that  hath  my  word,  let  him  speak  my 
word  faithfully  :  what  is  the  chaff  to  the  wheat  ?  saith  the 
Lord." 

I  shall  not,  then,  be  considered,  scripturally,  superstitious  if  1 
relate  a  dream.  And  1  will  preface  it  by  saying,  that  I  was 
never  in  the  habit  of  putting  the  least  confidence  in  dreams,  or 
relating  them  ;  and  for  this  good  reason,  especially  after  I  ar- 
rived at  adult  years,  1  could  scarcely  ever  remember -one  dis- 
tinctly ;  if  I  recollected  any  thing  about  them,  they  were  a 
heterogeneous  mass,  and  generally  connected  with  previous 
thoughts,  meditations,  purposes,  or  business,  and  usually  broke 
off  abruptly,  or  changed  into  something  of  entirely  different 
shape  Avithout  ever  coming  to  any  regular  termination.  But 
not  so  with  this  ;  its  commencement  and  conclusion  were  clear 
and  distinct,  and  its  progress  not  interrupted  by  any  thing  ex- 
traneous ;  and  so  vividly  were  the  scenes  impressed  upon  my 
memory,  that  after  awaking  1  could  hardly  realize  that  they 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY..  295 

were  not  realities  ;  nor  have  I,  through  the  suhsequent  changes 
of  my  life,  lost  a  single  feature  of  them  ;  but  they  appear  as 
fresh  before  the  eye  of  my  mind  now,  as  in  the  morning  that  I 
awoke  from  them. 

Some  time  previous  to  any  of  the  events  last  recorded,  I 
dreamed  of  preparing  fishing-tackle  and  going  a  fishing.  (This 
was  uncommon  business  for  me  ;  I  seldom  employed  an  hour  in 
angling.)  T  repaired  to  a  place  that  I  never  before  saw,  where 
I  was  compelled  to  fish  with  a  very  long  line  from  an  exceeding 
high  and  bluff  bank,  or  ridge,  into  a  stream  which  ran  in  a  deep 
gulf  or  ravine  far  below  the  surrounding  shore.  At  the  spot 
I  was  soon  joined  by  Mr.  Moulton,  who  also  came  with  his  fish- 
ing apparatus.  We  greeted  each  other  very  cordially  ;  no  one 
else  vi^as  present ;  and  we  soon  began  our  fishing  operations  at 
a  very  short  distance  from  each  other.  I  soon  began  to  draw 
out  fish,  rather  small  at  first ;  but  soon  I  caught  one  of  a  mon- 
strous large  size,  so  heavy  that  it  required  all  my  strength  to 
draw  him  up  to  the  spot  where  I  stood.  Mr.  M.  all  this  while 
had  no  luck,  and  had  not  caught  a  single  fish.  He  had  been 
looking  rather  enviously  at  me,  while  I  was  drawing  out  the 
small  fish  ;  and  when  he  saw  that  monster  flounder  upon  the 
bank,  he  threw  down  his  pole  and  line,  and  came  to  where  I 
stood,  and  insisted  upon  having  the  great  fish.  We  stood  and 
argued  upon  it  for  soni^  time  ;  but  on  my  peremptory  refusal 
to  give  it  up  to  him,  he  became  very  angry,  declared  he  would 
fish  with  me  no  longer,  and  left  the  place.  I  will  leave  the  rea- 
der to  draw  his  own  conclusion,  from  the  analogy  of  the  dream 
with  the  subsequent  events. 

Said  Joseph  to  his  father  and  brethren,  "Behold,  I  have  dream- 
ed a  dream  more" — and  I,  also,  must  be  indulged  in  relating 
one  more  ;  nor  have  I  the  least  fear  that  I  shall  suffer  such  con- 
sequences, for  my  temerity,  as  that  poor  youth  suffered  from  his 
cruel  brethren. 

This  dream,  however,  may  not  be  considered  quite  as  singu- 
lar as  the  foregoing,  because  it  might,  in  some  measure,  have 
received  its  sliape  from  immediately  preceding  occurrences  ; 
still  it  is  characteristic  enough  to  entitle  it  to  a  place  among  ex- 
traordinary visions." 

Quite  a  large  number  of  converts  under  this  revival  desired 
water  baptism.  And  as  I  ever  considered  this,  as  well  as  all 
other  external  ordinances,  as  a  matter  of  conscience  with  the 
candidate  rather  than  the  administrator,  1  never  attempted  to 
dictate  in  regard  to  iL      I   was  always  ready  to  give  my  opin- 


296  MEMOIRS   OF    THE 

ion  when  requested  ;  and  ever  felt  it  a  solemn  duty  to  throw 
what  light  I  could  gather  on  the  subject  from  the  word  of  in- 
spiration ;  and  then  exhorted  each  individual  to  act  conscientious- 
ly for  himself,  as  to  the  utility  and  importance  of  the  ordinance, 
and  its  mode  of  administration.  Th-ere  were,  in  the  course  of 
these  two  years,  some  fifty  or  sixty  who  received  water  bap- 
tism ;  and  a  large  majority,  forty  or  more,  received  it  by  im- 
mersion, the  others  by  effusion  or  sprinkling.  And  previous  to 
the  dream  I  am  about  to  relate,  I  had  administered  water  bap- 
tism by  immersion  to  a  number  of  candidates.  But  now  for  the 
dream : 

In  a  dream,  in  a  vision  of  the  night,  when  deep  sleep  was  up- 
on me,  I  found  myself  beside  a  stream  in  a  well-known  neigh- 
borhood in  the  town  of  Hamilton,  and  in  the  center  of  the  first 
Methodist  class,  or  society,  ever  organized  in  that  town.  But 
an  appendage  to  the  place,  although  it  caused  no  marvel  in  my 
vision,  was  added  to  the  reality — a  Methodist  meeting-house, 
with  a  very  tall,  square  steeple  porch,  such  as  was,  in  ancient 
times,  attached  to  one  end  of  the  meeting-houses  in  New  Eng- 
land, but  far  the  tallest  I  ever  saw,  and  entirely  detached  from 
the  building  by  about  one  rod  ;  and  on  its  top,  in  the  ordinary 
place  of  balls  above  the  cupola,  appeared  a  figure  or  statue  of  a 
woman,  in  full  size,  standing  upon  a  small  platform.  I  was 
about  to  administer  baptism,  by  immersion,  to  a  number  of  can- 
didates, who  stood  near  me  ;  and  a  large  congregation,  as  usual, 
stood  around  to  witness  the  ceremony.  I  kneeled  down  to  pray, 
with  my  face  directly  toward  the  meeting-house,  when  some 
person  in  the  congregation  cried  out,  "  She  is  coming  /"  1 
opened  my  eyes,  and  behold,  the  steeple  was  inclining,  very 
slowly,  directly  toward  the  place  which  I  occupied.  I  remain- 
ed upon  my  knees,  however,  until  it  came  fully  down  to  the 
ground,  without  any  crash,  or  even  noise,  and  placed  what  I 
supposed  to  be  a  statue,  directly  by  my  side  ;  and  to  my  utter 
astonishment,  instead  of  being  a  piece  of  human  mechanism,  it 
was  a  being  of  flesh  and  blood,  a  living  woman  !  As  she  struck 
the  ground,  she  raised  herself  up,  and  addressing  me,  with  a 
smile,  said,  "I  am  glad  I  am  down."  I  inquired  if  she  had 
received  any  injury  by  the  fall.  She  answered,  "  None."  1 
then  made  several  inquiries  of  her,  as  to  how  long  she  had  been 
in  that  situation. — Whether  she  had  not  suflered  much  with 
cold,  especially  in  stormy  weather  and  in  winter. — How  she 
obtained  food  ;  &c.,  &c.  She  informed  me,  that  she  had  been 
there  several  years — that  her  situation  was  rather  uncomforta- 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  297 

ble  in  coid  weather,  but  not  insupportable — and  that  they  raised 
food  to  her  by  means  of  a  rope  and  pulley.  But  she  expressed 
great  satisfaction  that  she  was  at  length  relieved  from  the  pre- 
dicament she  had  so  long  been  in.  We  had  quite  a  long  con- 
versation ;  and  marriage  between  us  was  proposed ;  but  before 
it  was  consummated,  the  vision  vanished  ! 

Several  years  previous  to  this,  there  was  a  family  by  the 
name  of  Pierce  removed  into  Hamilton,  originally  from  the 
town  of  my  nativity,  both  the  man  and  his  wife,  and  with  whom, 
in  my  younger  days,  I  had  had  some  acquaintance.  The  woman 
was  a  very  zealous  Methodist,  of  good  colloquial  powers,  and 
was  esteemed  by  the  whole  denomination,  within  the  circle  of 
her  acquaintance,  as  a  saint,  although  she  never  united  with  the 
church  in  this  place  ;  but  stood  a  little  aloof,  and  rather  seemed 
to  look  doum  upon  them. 

As  the  result  of  our  former  acquaintance,  and  the  intimacy 
of  our  parents  in  former  days,  we  exchanged  visits  ;  but  her 
sectarian  zeal  and  bigotry  frequently  rendered  our  visits  unplea- 
sant. I  have  often  seen  her  face  livid  with  passijon  while  talk- 
ing on  the  subject  of  religion,  and  have  received  from  her  the 
most  severe  reproofs  and  censures  I  ever  received  from  mortal 
lips  ;  and  she  kept  entirely  aloof  from  our  meetings  until  long 
after  almost  every  other  individual  of  the  Methodist  denomina- 
tion, in  the  country  near,  united  with  us.  But  after  a  long  sea- 
son, and  when  she  saw  she  must  be  left  without  company  if  she 
so  rigidly  adhered  to  her  prejudices,  she  ventured  into  the  meet- 
ing ;  and  when  once  the  enchantment  was  broken,  she  became 
a  constant  attendant  both  at  the  confer.ences  and  on  Sundays. 
She  was  careful,  however,  to  say  nothing  on  the  subject  of  doc- 
trine, until  one  Sunday,  in  the  summer  of  1818,  when  a  num-' 
ber  o£  candidates  were  baptized  by  immersion.  She  attended 
at  the  water,  and  appeared  considerably  affected  during  the  cer- 
emony ;  and  after  retiring  from  the  water  to  the  house  of  a 
friend,  to  which  we  also  repaired,  to  adjust  our  apparel  before 
going  to  church,  she,  in  conversation  with  one  of  our  sisters  in 
the  church,  who  remarked,  "  Mrs.  Pierce,  I  believe  every  soul, 
when  born  into  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  is  born  a  Universalist," 
replied,  "  I  believe  so,  too  ;  indeed,  I  know  it  must  be  so,  by 
my  own  experience."  And  from  that  time,  henceforth,  she 
avowed  her  firm  belief  in  the  ultimate  holiness  and  happiness 
of  all  mankind  ;  and  she  appeared  as  happy,  and  as  much  re- 
lieved from  her  former  confinement,  as  did  the  woman  who  had 
been  so  long  elevated  upon  the  pinnacle  of  the  cupola,  whom  I 


298  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

saw  in  my  vision.  She,  however,  never  united  with  the  church  ; 
and  in  the  course  of  two  or  three  years,  the  family  removed 
some  hundred  or  more  miles  to  the  west.  But  I  saw  her  several 
times  afterwards  ;  and  in  January,  1829.  I  made  the  family  a 
visit,  and  delivered  a  discourse  in  the  neighborhood.  I  always 
found  her  strong  in  the  faith,  rejoicing  in  the  hope  of  universal 
salvation,  with  a  full  assurance  that  it  would  bear  her  up  in  the 
approaching  hour  of  mortal  dissolution.  And  in  all  probabil- 
ity she  has,  ere  this,  tried  the  strength  of  her  faith  in  that  sol- 
emn hour. 

The  period  to  which  I  have  alluded  was  by  far  the  most  ex- 
traordinary, and  the  events  which  occurred  the  most  unaccount- 
able of  any  that  I  ever  witnessed.  There  were  certainly  no 
extraordinary  efforts  made  by  me,  nor  any  other  individual,  to 
produce  excitement  at  the  commencement;  nor,  during  the  whole 
period,  to  keep  it  up,  except  what  our  Methodist  friends  had 
made  ;  and  theirs  were  of  an  entirely  different  character  from 
their  usual  course,  both  before  and  after.  Not  a  word  was  heard 
from  them,  at  any  time,  about  "  Divine  wrath" — the  "  ven- 
geance of  an  angry  God" — "  sinning  away  the  day  of  grace  ;" 
"  probationary  state" — and  "no  alteration  after  death," — "the 
hopeless  state  of  the  finally  impenitent ;"  no  fearful  descriptions 
of  hell,  nor  appalling  representations  of  the  "great  day  of  final 
judgment,"  escaped  their  lips.  They  were  indeed,  enthusiastic, 
and  made  zealous  efforts  to  excite  sympathy  and  produce  effect 
upon  the  passions ;  but  it  was  all  done  by  the  spirit  of  love  ; 
"  The  love  of  God  to  man,  to  a  sinful  and  a  guilty  world  !"  "  The 
love  of  Jesus" — "  The  great  things  He  hath  done  for  us," 
— "  His  groans,  his  sweat  and  blood  in  the  garden,  his  condemna- 
tion, his  stripes,  his  crown  of  thorns,  his  crucifixion,  his  bleeding 
side,  his  last  prayer  on  the  cross, — all,  all  to  testify,  that  hi^  love 
was  stronger  than  death — to  show  his  willingness,  his  fervent 
desire,  that  all  should  be  saved,  and  to  open  up  a  way  for  the 
salvation  of  the  world."  Such  was  their  theme;  not  an  excep- 
tionable word  was  heard  in  their  sermons,  their  exhortations,  or 
their  prayers.  And  such  discourses  produced  effect ;  but  a 
very  different  effect  from  that  produced  in  ordinary  exciting 
operations.  It  produced  no  slavish  fear,  no  terrific  apprehen- 
sions of  endless  misery,  no  groans  of  despair,  no  delirium. 
But  it  softened  the  heart,  melted  it  down  into  the  most  perfect 
contrition  for  sin;  it  produced  a  wide,  expanding  charity,  and  a 
sympathy  that  ran  from  heart  to  heart,  and  caused  tears  of  love 
to  flow,  like  rivers,  from  surcharged  souls. 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  29& 

It  was  astonishing  to  see  how  easily,  and  how  undesignedly 
these  effects  were  produced.  At  all  times,  and  in  every  place, 
in  congregations  of  every  description,  they  were  visible.  I  had 
a  call  to  deliver  an  evening  discourse  in  a  remote  part  of  the 
town  ;  and  several  of  the  Universalist  brethren  accompanied 
me — not  a  single  Methodist  attended  the  meeting.  I  commenced 
with  no  peculiar  emotion,  but  lather  in  an  unusually  dull  man-- 
ner.  I  was  rather  fatigued,  and  was  not  so  pathetic  as  was 
common  in  those  days,  during  my  whole  discourse.  The  con- 
gregation was  respectable,  and  mainly  composed  of  young  peo- 
ple, who,  living  remote  from  the  usual  place  of  meeting,  had 
seldom  attended.  I  had  proceeded  but  a  little  way  in  my  dis- 
course, before  I  discovered  a  visible  emotion  among  my  hear- 
ers ;  and  soon  thirteen  youths,  of  both  sexes,  were  bathed  in 
tears,  and  audibly  sobbing,  and  remained  so  until  the  discourse 
closed.  I  then  took  occasion  to  converse  with  them  separately  ; 
and  inquired  of  them.  Why  this  emotion  ?  Whether  or  not 
they  feared  that  God  was  an  enemy,  and  about  to  cast  them  off 
for  ever,  &c.  No,  no, — they  had  not  even  thought  of  any  such 
thing.  They  had  not  thought  of  hell,  or  future  misery  ;  but 
they  found  there  was  something  to  which  they  had  not  attained, 
a  reality  in  religion  which  they  had  never  before  discovered, 
and  which  they  had  never  sought  for  ;  that  while  God  had 
been  good,  gracious,  and  merciful  to  them,  they  had  been  in- 
different about  religion — ungrateful  for  the  blessings  he  had  so 
bountifully  bestowed — slighted  his  divine  favors,  and  sinned 
against  him.  In  short,  they  were  not  as  they  desired  to  be  ; 
but  no  such  thing  as  fear  of  hell,  wrath  of  God,  or  endless  mis- 
ery, entered  their  minds,  until  I  made  the  inquiries.  This  is 
the  substance  of  what  each  expressed,  as  1  conversed  with 
them  ;  there  was  little  or  no  variation  in  the  description  of  their 
feelings  to  me.  The  effect  was  lasting  upon  their  minds. 
Several  of  them  afterwards  united  with  the  Universalist  church, 
but  two  or  three,  who  lived  in  the  midst  of  a  little  Baptist  com- 
munity, were  after  that  converted  to  Calvinism,  and  joined  the 
Baptists. 

Nor  was  this  revival  confined  exclusively  to  our  town  ;  but 
the  spirit  seemed  to  extend,  in  some  degree,  through  the  whole 
fraternity  of  Universal ists  in  Central  New  York,  and  even 
farther.  The  town  of  Madison  shared  quite  largely  in  it. 
Conference  meetings  were  holden,  preaching  obtained  as  often 
as  possible,  and  converts  multiplied  to  such  an  extent,  and  so 
much   engagedness  realized  by  the  believers,  that  Mr.  S.  R. 


300  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

Smith  and  myself  were  called  to  assist  in  the  organization  of  a 
church  ;  and  on  that  occasion,  numbers  came  forward  and  re- 
lated their  experience,  and  eight  received  baptism  by  immersion. 

But  probably  the  most  extraordinary  occurrence,  of  those  ex- 
extraordinary  times,  has  yet  to  be  recorded. 

In  the  summer  of  1817,  I  received  a  letter  from  my  beloved 
brother,  Cornelius  G.  Person,  a  fellow-laborer  in  the  vineyard 
of  Christ,  in  Greenfield,  Saratoga  Co.,  of  whom  I  have  several 
times  spoken  in  these  memoirs ;  informing  me,  that  after  a 
careful  and  prayerful  examination  of  the  subject,  he  had  be- 
come conscientiously  convinced  that  it  was  his  solemn  duty  to 
receive  baptism  by  immersion.  And  as  he  considered  all  who 
named  the  name  of  Christ  as  Christians,  whatever  might  be  their 
distinctive  sectarian  opinions,  he  had  felt  no  scruple  about  re- 
ceiving the  ordinance  at  the  hand  of  any  authorized  administra- 
tor, in  any  branch  of  the  Christian  church.  He  had,  therefore, 
offered  to  receive  it  by  the  hands  of  both  Baptist  and  Metho- 
dist ;  but  neither  would  baptize  him,  unless  he  would  renounce 
his  faith  in  Universal  Salvation.  This  he  had  no  power  to  do  ; 
for  the  evidences  were  so  strong,  that  he  increased  in  faith  every 
year,  and  every  day  of  his  life  ;  and  he  requested  me  to  make 
him  a  visit,  and  administer  the  ordinance.  I  replied,  that  my  en- 
gagements were  such,  during  the  summer  and  fall,  that  I  could 
not  come ;  but,  God  willing,  I  would  make  him  a  visit  the  en- 
suing winter,  and  if  his  faith  was  then  strong  enough,  I  would 
most  cheerfully  administer  the  ordinance.  I  accordingly  obtained 
help  of  the  Lord,  and  fulfilled  my  promise  to  him.  I  found  his 
faith  "  strong  in  the  Lord  and  in  the  power  of  his  might  ;"  and 
on  the  15th  of  February,  as  cold  and  stormy  a  day  as  I  ever 
experienced  in  that  season  of  the  year,  we  had  a  hole  cut  in  the 
ice,  and  I  baptized  him  "  In  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,'* 
and  we  went  to  his  house  rejoicing.  We  sang  a  hymn,  and  in- 
voked  the  divine  blessing  before  going  into  the  water;  and  as 
soon  as  we  came  out,  stepped  into  his  cutter,  and  drove  to  his 
house,  about  a  mile  distant,  without  experiencing  the  least  in- 
convenience. 

Had  we,  during  the  period  of  this  excitement,  entered  into 
that  regular  system  of  proselytism  uniformly  practised  by  other 
denominations,  we  might,  unquestionably,  have  swelled  the  ranks 
of  our  church  to  triple  or  quadruple  the  numbers  who  united 
with  us  :  but  this  I  never  could  conscientiously  consent  to  do. 
I  never  desired  one  to  profess  a  belief  in  God's  universal  grace, 
until  he   felt  the   vital  efficacy  of  that  faith  ;  and  1  never  de- 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  301 

sired  one  to  unite  witli  the  cliurcli  under  a  brief  excitement, 
nor  until  he  had  arrived  at  years  of  discretion,  until  his  judg- 
ment was  matured,  and  he  had  sufficient  time  to  examine  the 
subject  coolly  and  deliberately,  and  become  understandingly 
and  conscientiously  convinced  of  his  duty  for  himself.  There- 
fore, while  I  gave  the  candidates  fairly  to  understand  that  it 
would  be  grateful  to  my  feelings,  and  cause  of  unspeakable 
joy  to  my  soul,  to  have  them  come  forward,  I  never  failed  to 
express  my  opinion  on  the  importance  of  the  step  they  were 
about  to  take,  and  caution  them  to  do  nothing  precipitately. 
But  without  any  extraordinary  efforts  on  my  part,  or  by  any  of 
the  old  members  of  the  church,  between  sixty  and  seventy  were 
added  to  the  church  in  Hamilton  ;  making  the  number  of  com- 
municants to  exceed  a  hundred. 

Whether  any  lasting  or  permanent  benefit  resulted  to  the 
Universalist  denomination  from  this  extraordinary  movement,  I 
leave  for  others  to  determine  ;  but  be  the  result  what  it  may,  I 
could  never  accuse  myself  of  using  any  unwarranted  exertions 
to  produce  it,  or  to  continue  it  ;  nor  of  taking  undue  advantage 
of  it  to  swell  the  ranks  of  nominal  Universalists. 

That  some  beneficial  results  for  a  time  certainly  were  real- 
ized, I  think  must  be  acknowledged  ;  for  from  this  very  awa- 
kening in  Hamilton,  arose  two  faithful  laborers  in  the  vineyard 
of  the  great  husbandman — Mr.  Oliver  Ackley  and  Mr.  Job 
Potter,  who,  ever  since,  have  successfully  devoted  their  time, 
and  talents,  which  are  by  no  means  of  an  inferior  kind,  to  the 
promulgation  of  the  blessed  Gospel. 

Mr.  Potter,  thougli  quite  a  young  man  when  I  moved  into  the 
State  of  New  York,  was  a  prominent  member  of  a  Baptist 
Church,  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  my  first  location  ; 
but  he  soon  became  convinced  of  the  truth  of  the  doctrine  of 
Universalism,  and  either  withdrew  voluntarily,  or  was  expelled 
from  the  church. 

He  soon,  however,  became  indifferent  to  the  subject,  married 
a  wife,  took  up  pettifogging  for  a  livelihood,  and  lost  all  sym- 
pathy for  religion,  in  any  form.  He  had  frequently  changed 
his  place  of  residence,  removing  from  one  place  to  another, 
.vithout  abiding  long  in  any  one  location;  and  just  before  this 
awakening  commenced,  he  had  fixed  his  residence  in  the  town 
of  Hamilton.  He  was  an  early  subject  of  the  awakening — 
came  forward  at  the  meetings — made  a  most  pathetic  and  hum- 
ble acknowledgement  of  his  back-slidings,  avowed  the  renewal 
of  his  faith,  of  his  religious  devotion,  and  his  determination 


B02  MEMOIRS   OF    THE 

now  to  persevere — made  application  for  membership  in  the 
church,  and,  for  the  first  time  took  a  place  among  us.  He  ex- 
horted much  in  our  meetings,  and  soon  began  to  appoint  meetings 
for  himself,  in  which  he  took  the  lead  ;  and,  shortly,  from  ex- 
hortation he  began  to  sermonize,  and  to  preach  to  the  great  ac- 
ceptance of  our  friends.  He  is  now  extensively  known  among 
Universalists  as  a  venerable  father  in  Israel. 

Mr.  Ackley  was  quite  a  youth  when  I  removed  to  Hamilton, 
and  usually  attended  my  meetings  ;  but  made  no  pretensions  to 
religion  until  the  time  of  this  revival  ;  he,  too,  was  an  early 
convert,  and  one  of  the  tirst  individuals  who  received  baptism 
by  immersion.  He  had  an  uncommon  talent  of  natural  eloquence, 
and  improved  it  successfully  in  our  conferences.  At  length  he  was 
invited  and  urgently  requested  to  hold  meetings  abroad,  in  the 
neighboring  towns,  which  after  repeated  solicitations,  together 
with  my  influence,  he  with  great  modesty  and  manifest  re- 
luctance consented  to  do.  And  so  edifying  were  his  improve- 
ments, so  confident  were  the  people  of  his  great  usefulness  as  a 
preacher  of  the  everlasting  Gospel,  that  he  was  persuaded, 
eventually,  to  take  upon  himself  the  solemn  responsibilities  of 
an  evangelist.  And  how  v/ell  he  has  sustained  the  dignity  and 
the  sacredness  of  that  high  and  holy  vocation,  I  need  not  say ; 
for  he  is  well  and  extensively  known  to  the  denomination  as  a 
devoted  Christian,  and  an  able  advocate  for  the  truth,  and  enjoys 
the  undivided  confidence  of  all  his  acquaintances  ;  and  is  great- 
ly beloved  by  all  who  know  him. 

Still  another  benefit  I  delight  to  record,  and  which  may 
probably  be  considered  of  as  great  vital  utility  as  any  one  yet 
mentioned ;  and  that  is,  it  produced  a  faithful  engagedness  in 
reading,  and  a  careful  and  diligent  examination  of  the  Scrip- 
lures  ;  and  this  was  general,  among  almost  all  classes  within 
the  compass  of  my  field  of  labor.  The  excitement,  itself,  did 
not  fully  satisfy  the  ardent  desires  of  its  subjects.  From  what 
they  saw,  heard,  and  felt,  they  were  led  to  beiieve^there  was  a 
reality  in  religion ;  but  they  wanted  a  more  thorough  know- 
ledge of  the  foundation  on  which  it  rested — of  the  source  from 
whence  this  hope  sprang,  and  their  feelings  proceeded.  And 
they  were  carefully  exhorted,  at  least,  by  one,  not  to  take  up 
with  excited  feelings — with  a  sympathy,  however  fervid  and 
pleasing,  in  experimental  operations,  as  a  substitute  for  faith,  or 
aa  a  foundation  for  religious  hope  ;  but  to  go  to  the  Bible,  and 
try  their  experience  hy  that  infallible  standard.  And  while 
they  paid  respectful  attention  to  the  opinions  of  others,  treating 


LIFE    OF   REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  S03  . 

iiO  man's  religious  creed  with  contempt  ;  yet  never  to  receive 
my  word,  nor  that  of  any  other  fallible  mortal,  as  truth  on  the 
subject  of  religion,  until  they  had  carefully  tried  it  by  the  touch- 
stone of  divine  revelation ;  to  be  careful  to  submit  all  creeds, 
and  all  opinions  'offered  them,  to  that  ordeal  before  putting  un- 
qualified dependence  on  them  ;  and  to  believe  that  they  were 
capable  of  judging  for  themselves,  and  to  have  the  moral  cour- . 
age  to  do  so.  And  this  they  did.  They  read,  and  they  com- 
pared  Scripture  with  Scripture  ;  they  were  fond  of  consulting 
together,  and  exchanging  thoughts  and  opinions.  They  wanted 
mine  ;  and,  probably  for  one  v/hole  year,  I  did  not  m}  self  select 
five  texts  to  preach  upon,  in  the  town  of  Flamilton.  Both  male 
and  female,  youthful  and  gray-headed,  would  come  with  their 
texts,  and  solicit  me  to  speak  from  them  ;  and  frequently  I  had 
half-a-dozen  on  bond  atone  time.  But  I  felt  happy  to  accommodate 
their  feelings,  and  turned  none  away  ;  for  sincerity  and  inquiry 
characterized  their  applications,  and  I  served  them  each  accord- 
ing to  the  order  of  application.  Having  assumed  the  solemn 
vocation  of  a  teacher  of  religion,  learned  or  unlearned,  quali- 
fied or  unqualified,  I  realized  all  the  awful  responsibilities  of 
that  sacred  station  ;  and  therefore  felt  under  a  solemn  obligation 
to  give  a  reason  for  my  faith,  and  to  render  my  opinion  on  any 
passage  of  the  inspired  word,  either  in  private  or  in  public, 
whenever  respectfully  called  upon  to  do  so. 

I  know  not  that  I  ever  refused  discoursing  upon  a  text  handed 
me  by  any  person  in  a  kind  manner,  believer  or  unbeliver,  pro- 
fessor or  non-professor  ;  and  I  have  a  number  of  times,  in  the 
course  of  my  ministry,  had  texts  handed  me  after  I  had  com- 
menced the  services  of  the  m.eeting.  They  were,  generally, 
subjects  which  I  had  studied  and  matured  my  judgment  upon 
previously ;  but  whether  I  had  methodically  arranged  them  or 
not,  I  never  declined  to  use  them.  And  I  have  enjoyed  some 
of  the  most  happy  seasons  of  my  life,  under  such  circumstances. 
The  excitement  was  just  enough  to  relieve  me  from  all  em- 
barrassmeht,  to  expand  and  invigorate  my  mind,  and  enliven  and 
interest  my  feelings ;  and  I  do  not  know  that  I  ever  failed  to 
engage  the  profound  attention  of  my  auditory,  and,  at  least,  to 
satisfy  myself.  Let  not  the  sceptic  say  that  the  hand  of  the 
Lord  was  not  in  this  ;  my  experience  contradicts  the  assertion, 
and  my  soul  gratefully  acknowledges  Divine  aid.  Still  I  claim 
no  miracle  in  my  behalf,  no  extraordinary  outpouring  of  the 
Divine  spirit.  It  is  the  ordinarv  arrangement  of  Divine  wis- 
dom ;  the  inspiring  influence  of  Divine  truth,  firmly  believed 


304  MEMOIRS. 

and  fully  appreciated,  upon  those  intellectual  powers  with  which 

God  has  endowed  his  moral  offspring  ;  and  it  ever  has  been,  and 

ever  will  be,  the  case  with  the  faithful  and  devotional  servant  of 

the  divine  Master.       He  told  his  disciples  that  they  should  be 

brought  before  kings  and  governors  :  "  But  when  thev  shall  de- 
cs Do  -I      "  n        • 

liver  you  up,  take  no  thought  how  or  what  ye  shall  say  ;  for  it 
shall  be  given  you  in  that  same  hour  what  ye  shall  speak." 


CHAPTER  XIIL 


Association  in  1818— Accession  lo  the  ministry— Second  visit  to  Connecticut- 
Anecdote  of  Mr.  H.  Foot — City  of  Hudson— Universalist  meeting-house*— 
Previous  and  ordinary  places  of  worship — Prosecution  for  preaching  in  a 
meeting-house — Singular  interview  with  a  singular  man — Interview  with  Es- 
quire J n  ;  liis  experience,  scepticism  about  miracles,  and  the  miraculous 

birth  of  Christ ;  the  result — Association  in  1819 — Rev.  Tho.  Gross — "  Gospel 
Advocate" — Dr.  Adams — History  of  the  Order — Tour  to  Jefferson  County 
— Conference — Sackett's  Harbor — Mr.  Luff— Meeting-house  and  Society — 
Tour  to  Northern  Pennsylvania — Sheshequin — Athens — Widow  of  Noak 
Murray — Mr.  Park,  his  widow,  and  family — Impostors — Esquire  Streeter  and 
David  Gibson — Second  visit  to  Pennsylvania — Third  visit  to  Pennsylvania- 
Fourth  visit  to  Pennsylvania — Elder  Wliipple — Session  of  the  Genesee  Branch 
— Hollis  Sampson — Alfred  Peck — Prosperity  of  the  Cause — Conference — Or- 
ganization of  Chenango  Association — Proposition  for  a  State  Convention — 
Delegates  appointed — Proposition  for  Convention  meets  an  imfavorable  recep- 
tion in  Genesee  Branch  ;  also  in  Central  Association — Change  of  sentiment 
ooi  the  subject — Establisbnent  of  a  State  Convention. 

In  1818,  if  cny  memory  serves  me  correctly,  (but  I  have  had 
no  memoranda  on  which  I  can  confidently  depend,)  our  Asso- 
ciation met  in  Hamilton  ;  and  if  so,  at  least  three  individuals 
received  testimonials  of  fellowship  as  preachers  of  the  ever- 
lasting Gospel,  viz :  Mr.  Flagler  and  Mr.  Vanderburg,  of  whom 
I  have  before  spoken  ;  and  Mr.  Amos  Crandall,  who  closed  a 
short  but  active  life  in  the  ministry  a  few  years  afterwards,  in 
the  town  of  Brooklyn,  Susquehanna  County,  Pa. 

Our  Zion  was  now  beginning  to  "  enlarge  the  place  of  her 
tents,  and  stretching  forth  the  curtains  of  her  habitation;"  she 
was  "  lengthening  her  cords  and  strengthening  her  stakes,  and 
breaking  forth  on  the  right  hand  and  on  the  left;"  for  although 
several,  who  had  had  a  temporary  residence  and  location  in  our 
State,  had  removed  to  other  States,  our  clerical  band  had  in- 
creased to  seventeen  or  eighteen,  and  societies  and  congregations 
were  multiplying  ;  and  an  increased  interest  to  hear  the  preach- 

T 


306  *  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

ed  word  prevailed  through  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  field  of 
our  labors. 

In  September  of  this  year,  in  accordance  with  my  engage- 
ment, I  made  a  second  journey  to  Colchester,  Connecticut,  and 
spent  three  more  Sabbaths  in  that  town.  On  this  tour,  meetings 
were  holden  in  all  the  places  I  had  before  visited  in  that  section, 
with  some  additional  places  ;  and  we  made  an  excursion  to  a 
place  called  Rope-Ferry,  in  the  town  of  Waterford,  on  the 
sea-coast,  where  I  delivered  one  lecture.  The  cause  I  found 
progressing — the  seed  had  not  fallen  on  unproductive  ground. 
A  greater  interest  was  manifested,  and  larger  congregations  gen- 
erally collected  than  on  my  former  visit,  and  loud  and  earnest 
requests  were  made  and  reiterated  for  lectures  and  meetings  in 
other  towns  and  neighborhoods.  The  distance  for  me  to  travel 
was  so  great,  that  the  friends  could  not  expect  that  I  would  visit 
them  often  ;  it  would  have  been  unreasonable  to  ask  it ;  and 
they  promised  me,  that  they  would  make  application  to  other 
preachers,  who  were  much  nearer  to  them,  and  would  endeavor 
to  establish  stated  preaching  in  the  place  ;  which  promise,  1 
believe,  they  fulfilled  not  long  afterwards. 

On  this  visit,  an  anecdote,  not  a  little  amusing,  was  told  me, 
of  an  aged  gentleman  by  the  name  of  Foot.  He  had,  from 
early  life,  been  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  Col- 
chester, and  was  now  the  oldest  member  in  the  society  ;  but  he 
appeared,  notwithstanding,  to  be  less  bigoted  than  many  others. 
Curiosity,  or  something  else,  prompted  him,  in  the  course  of  my, 
former  visit,  to  leave  his  own  meeting  on  one  Sunday  and  at- 
tend mine.  This -was  a  crime  which  could  not  be  lightly  pass- 
ed over ;  and  the  old  gentleman  was  forthwith  called  before  the 
church,  to  answer  for  his  offence.  He  pleaded,  that  he  did  not 
spend  the  Sabbath  in  unlawful  labors,  nor  in  a  riotous  manner 
— that  he  attended  divine  service  ;  and  he  had  yet  got  to  learn 
that  there  was  any  command  of  God  to  confine  his  religious 
worship  to  one  place,  or  with  one  congregation,  or  exclusively 
to  hear  one  man  preach^-that  he  met  with  a  civil  congregation, 
and  heard  nothing  in  either  of  the  discourses  repugnant  to  the 
Gospel  of  Christ.  But  it  was  a  Universalist  meeting  ;  and  Uni- 
versalism  was  a  damnable  heresy  ;  there  could  be  nothing  in 
Universalism  but  what  was  contrary  to  the  Gospel ;  there  was 
not  a  word  in  the  whole  Bible  in  favor  of  it.  '•'  Why,"  said 
the  old  gentleman,  "  it  is  one  thing  to  believe  that  a  part  of  man- 
kind will  be  saved,  is  it  not?"  Why,  yes.  "  Well,  it  is  an- 
other tiling  to  believe  that  all  will  be  saved,  is  it  not  ?"     Why, 


LlPE    OF    UEV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  307 

lo  be  sure.  "  Well,  '  charity  believes  all  things,'  so  the  Bible 
says  ;  is  not  that  in  favor  of  Universalism  ?"  But  this  subter- 
fuge would  not  clear  him.  He  had  broken  covenant — he  had 
given  offence  ;  and  he  must  make  a  retraction.  But  what  should 
he  do  ?  He  could  not  conscientiously  say  he  was  sorry  he  went 
to  the  meetiug,  for  he  actually  v/as  not ;  and  all  he  could  say,, 
was,  that  he  was  very  sorry  that  any  members  of  the  church 
were  grieved  about  it.  "But  this  would  not  quite  satisfy  them  ; 
it  would  do,  however,  if  he  would  promise  he  would  never  go 
again.  And  after  parleying  with  them  a  long  Avhile,  he  finally 
consented  to  say  he  would  not  go  again  to  hear  the  wicked  Uni- 
versalist  preacher.  "  Will  you  be  fully  satisfied,  brethren,  if 
I  say  I  will  never  go  again  to  hear  Mr.  Stacy  preach  ?"  Yes, 
yes  ;  that  would  give  complete  satisfaction  ;  that  would  mend 
the  breach  ;  they  would  require  nothing  more.  "  Well,  now, 
brethren,  I  want  you  to  understand  what  I  have  promised,  and 
all  I  have  promised  ;  atid  that  is,  that  I  will  not  go  to  hear  Mr. 
S.  preach.  But  if  Mr.  S.  should  come  to  my  house  and  preach, 
I  have  nor  promised  to  leave  the  house,  not  stop  my  ears,  nor 
shall  I  do  so."  They  saw  they  were  caught,  but  made  no  re- 
ply, and  the  matter  was  dropped.  And  the  old  gentleman  actu- 
ally made  calculation  to  have  a  discourse  delivered  in  his  own 
house,  on  my  second  visit ;  but  it  was  inconvenient  for  me  to 
do  so,  and  fulfd  my  other  engagements.  I  made  him  a  short 
call,  however,  and  became  satisfied  that  he  was  a  full  believer 
in  the  doctrine.  But  he  was  an  old  man  ;  and  did  not  wish  the 
evening  of  his  life  disturbed  by  theological  controversies.  A 
year  or  two  after  this,  he  visited  his  friends  in  the  State  of  New 
York  ;  (he  had  a  son,  and  other  relatives  residing  in  our  vicin- 
ity;) and  during  his  stay,  attended  my  meeting  every  Sabbath, 
— whispering  in  my  ear,  at  some  time,  "  Perhaps  the  church 
will  never  hear  of  this." 

On  my  return  from  Connecticut,  I  called  at  the  city  of  Hud- 
son, where  I  found  Mr.  David  Pickering.  Within  two  years,  I 
believe,  from  the  time  they  first  had  any  efficient  preaching  of 
this  gospel  in  the  city  of  Hudson,  they  had  formed  a  society, 
built  a  good  meeting-house,  organized  a  church,  and  Mr.  Pick- 
ering was  now  settled  as  pastor.  Mr.  Mitchel,  of  the  city  of 
New  York,  made  a  visit  first,  I  believe,  and  delivered  a  few  dis- 
courses ;  Mr.  Kneeland,  previous  to  his  settling  in  New  Hart- 
ford, spent  a  short  time  with  them;  and  Mr.  Flagg  one  year. 
During  the  time  of  Mr.  F.'s  ministry,  they  completed  their  or- 
ganization, and  erected  their  house  of  worship,  and  were  now 
sustaining  preaching  every  Sabbath. 


808  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

The  meeting-house  in  Pludson  was  the  second  Universalist 
meeting-house  ever  erected  in  the  State  of  New  York.  In  this 
remark,  however,  as  well  as  all  of  a  similar  character,  I  ex- 
clude the  city.  Mr.  Mitchel  had  been  preaching  there  for  sonne 
years,  had  a  large  church,  and,  of  course,  a  meeting-house  ; 
but  Mr.  M.,  for  some  cause  known  only  to  himself,  I  presume, 
never  saw  fit  to  join  our  Association,  although  he  devoted  his 
brilliant  talents  to  the  promulgation  of  the  doctrine  of  the  uni- 
versal, ultim.ate  purity  and  happiness  of  all  mankind.  The  so- 
ciety in  Whitestown,  then  more  generally  known  as  the  New 
Hartford  society,  but  the  second  society  ever  organized  in  the 
State  of  New  York,  in  1805,  built  the  first  meeting-house  ever 
erected  by  Universalists,  exclusively,  in  the  State,  in  1815,  just 
10  years  after  their  organization.  Previous  to  this,  and  in  most 
cases  for  many  years'  afterwards,  our  meetings  were  generally 
holden  in  dwelling-houses,  school-houses,  sometimes  in  barns, 
and,  not  unfrequently,  in  God's  mag»ificent  temple,  with  the 
verdant  foliage  of  the  forest  for  its  ornaments.  Occasionally, 
but  rarely,  we  could  be  admitted  into  a  meeting-house,  some 
times  peaceably,  and  some  times  amid  rather  disagreeable  con- 
tention. The  only  crime  for  which  I  ever  had  a  legal  precept 
served  upon  me,  was  for  preaching  in  a  Presbyterian  meeting- 
house. This  took  place  in  the  town  of  Littlefield,  Herkimer 
Co.  After  Mr.  Underwood's  conversion  to  the  faith,  there  was 
a  society  gathered  in  that  town,  in  his  immediate  neigliborhood, 
and  he  agreed  to  supply  them  two  Sabbaths  in  each  month  for 
one  year  ;  and  one  half  of  that  time  was  to  be  supplied  by  ex- 
changes with  other  preachers.  He  made  arrangements  for  reg- 
ular exchanges  with  Mr.  Potter  and  myself.  Their  place  of 
worship  was  an  old  building  originally  erected  for  an  academy, 
but  dilapidated,  and  totally  unftt  for  such  a  use.  Immediately 
in  the  vicinity  stood  a  Presbyterian  meeting-liouse,  which  was 
occupied  with  preaching  only  half  the  Sabbaths  ;  and  the  Uni- 
versalists, by  calculating  the  amount  of  their  property  in  the 
house,  according  to  the  original  subscription,  ascertained  that 
they,  of  right,  owned  about  one  half  of  the  house.  The  house, 
when  built,  was  erected  by  a  legally-organized  Presbyterian  so- 
ciety ;  but  many,  who  were  not  even  then  Presbyterians,  sub- 
scribed for  its  erection,  and  quite  a  respectable  number  of  those 
who  were  then  Presbyterians  had  now  become  Universalists. 
They  laid  the  case  before  the  Presbyterian  society,  and  claim- 
ed the  right  of  occupying  the  house  a  part  of  the  time  ;  and  es- 
pecially as  the  Presbyterians  were  unable  to  support  preaching 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  309 

in  it  the  whole  of  the  time  ;  but  the  society  refused  to  give  up 
the  use  of  the  house  to  them  even  for  one  day.  The  Univer- 
salists  then  offered  to  sell  their  property  in  the  house  to  the  Pres- 
byterians ;  but  the  idea  was  hooted  as  an  absurdity  ;  as  though 
they  were  invited  to  purchase  their  own  property  !  The  house 
was  a  Presbyterian  house — they  already  owned  it.  They  then 
offered  to  buy  out  the  Presbyterians ;  but  they  would  not  sell. 
The  Universalists  then  informed  them  that  they  should  occupy 
the  house  on  a  certain  day,  being  careful  to  appoint  a  day  on 
which,  according  to  ordinary  arrangements,  the  Presbyterians 
had  no  preaching  ;  and  it  happened  on  the  day  that  I  was  to  ex- 
change with  Mr.  Underwood.  All  this  I  was  informed  of  when 
I  arrived  in  town.  I  regretted  the  course  they  had  taken,  and 
so  told  them.  I  was  no  warrior,  and  regretted  very  much  to 
have  any  such  kind  of  contention.  They  justified  themselves, 
however,  on  account  of  right  of  property  and  privilege.  They 
had  made  fair  and  even  generous  offers,  but  all  had  been  re- 
fused, and  their  claims  treated  with  contempt.  They  expected 
a  law-suit  would  be  the  result,  and  they  were  prepared  to  meet 
it ;  and  had  taken  this  step  because  they  chose  rather  to  ba  de- 
fendant than  plaintiff  in  the  case.  A  number  of  the  most  re- 
spectable and  influential  inhabitants  told  me  not  to  apprehend 
any  trouble  from  a  prosecution,  as  they  would  defend  me  ;  and 
they  ha»i  no  fears  of  any  disturbance  on  the  Sabbath. 

On  Sunday  morning,  while  walking  to  church  in  company 
with  several  of  the  most  reputable  inhabitants  in  the  town,  hav- 
ing arrived  within  fifty  or  sixty  rods  of  the  house,  we  met  a 
gentleman,  who  very  civilly  accosted  us  with,  "  Good  morning," 
and  with  a  smile,  gave  his  hand  to  each  of  us,  and  turned  and 
walked  with  us.  I  supposed,  from  his  appearance,  he  was  a 
friend  who  had  come  to  attend  meeting  ;  though  I  did  not  rec- 
ognize him,  he  evidently  did  me,  for  he  called  me  by  name. 
After  a  few  common-place  remarks,  however,  he  turned  to  me 
and  said,  "  Mr.  Stacy,  are  you  going  to  preach  in  this  house  to- 
day ?"  I  replied,  "  I  understand  the  meeting  is  appointed  here." 
"  Well,"  said  he,  "  I  forbid  your  going  into  the  house."  I  then 
understood  the  object  of  his  errand,  and  merely  replied,  "  I 
shall  go,  sir,  where  my  friends  conduct  me."  He  then  turned 
to  the  others,  severally,  and  forbade  their  entrance  into  the 
house.  This  was  all  done  in  as  pleasant  a  manner  as  such  an 
errand  could  be  performed  ;  and  he  continued  to  walk  with  us 
until  we  reached  the  house  ;  here  he  took  his  stand  at  the  door, 
and  forbade  as  many  as  he  thought  necessary,  I  suppose,  and 


310  MEMOIKS    OF    THE 

then  retired  ;  and  tliis  was  all  the  disturbance  that  we  experi- 
enced that  day.  After- services,  the  same  gentleman  came  to 
me,  and  inquired  how  long  I  expected  to  remain  in  town  ?  I 
told  him  I  should  remain  over  the  next  day,  but  did  not  know 
that  1  should  longer.  He  said  be  wished  to  do  a  little  business 
with  me  before  I  left ;  but  he  thought  probably  that  would  give 
him  sufficient  time.  I  assured  him,  if  it  would  not,  if  he  would 
be  so  good  as  to  inform  me,  I  would  try  to  accommodate  him 
W'ith  any  reasonable  length  of  time  he  desired.  '  He  thanked 
me  very  civilly,  and  bade  me  good-bye.  On  Tuesday  morning, 
while  at  Mr.  Underwood's,  I  was  \vaited  upon  by  an  officer, 
who  served  upon  me  a  supreme  writ.  They  had  associated  my 
name  in  the  writ  with  eight  others,  and  company,  too,  that  I  had 
no  reason  to  be  ashamed  of,  and  prosecuted  us  in  the  name  of 
the  Presbyterian  society  ;  but  they  served  it  on  me  only,  before 
they  discovered  some  defect  in  the  writ,  and  destroyed  that  and 
took  out  anotlier,  leaving  out  my  name,  probably  not  wishing  to 
travel  twenty-five  or  thirty  miles  for  the  pleasure  of  reading  it 
to  me.  This  writ  they  served  on  the  others  ;  but  alas  !  before 
it  came  to  trial,  they  found  that  they  had  no  authority  !  They 
had  prosecuted  in  the  name  of  a  body  which  had  become  de- 
funct. The  society,  in  its  first  existence,  was  incorporated  ac- 
cording to  statute  ;  and  by  neglecting  to  attend  to  the  legal  pro- 
visions of-  the  statute,  they  had  lost  their  corporation,  and  the 
Presbyterian  society  had  lost  its  existence.  This  the  IJniversal- 
ists  had  been  careful  to  ascertain  before  they  took  the  step  they 
did  ;  and  therefore  fell  no  alarm  at  their  threats,  or  prose- 
cution. They  then  withdrew  their  suit,  paid  up  their  cost,  and 
settled  with  the  Universalists  for  tlieir  right  in  the  house  ;  and 
here  the  matter  ended. 

But  where  have  I  wandered  ?  I  had  started  to  conduct  the 
reader  home  from  my  second  visit  to  the  "  land  of  steady  hab- 
its ;"  but  in  my  wild  and  fanciful  excursions,  have  carried  him 
to  Littlefield,  several  years  afterwards,  where  I  got  a  supreme 
writ  on  my  back,  and  was  well-nigh  committed  where  my  good 
friends  had  often  wished  me — in  the  penitentiary  !  But  the  on- 
ly apology  I  am  disposed  to  offer,  is  to  ask  his  patience,  and  in- 
vite him  to  accompany  me  back,  to  a  brief  conclusion  of  my 
tour. 

Suffice  it  to  say,  that  after  leaving  Hudson,  I  spent  one  Sun- 
day in  Rensselaerville,  where  I  delivered  three  discourses,  and 
then  returned  home  from  my  second  and  last  visit  to  Connect 
ticut. 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  311 

I  have  traveled  several  times,  in  the  course  of  my  peregri- 
nations, through  the  region  of  country  lying  between  Cherry 
Valley  and  the  city  of  Hudson,  but  never  delivered  a  discourse 
in  that  region  except  the  time  above  named.  One  or  two  years, 
after  this,  (I  have  now  no  means  of  making  the  date  certain) 
while  traveling  in  company  with  Mr.  Ackley,  to  attend  the  gen- 
eral convention,  which  met  in  Hudson  that  year,  I  had  rather  a 
singular  interview  with  a  singular  character.  Perhaps  the  an- 
ecdote is  worthy  to  fill  a  brief  space  in  these  memoirs,  as 
it  will  serve  to  show  the  diversified  modes  of  attack  we  were 
destined  to  meet  with  from  various  quarters.  We  were  riding 
in  the  town  of  Durham,  near  the  middle  of  the  day,  when  we 
were  unexpectedly  saluted  by  an  old  acquaintance.  We  had 
known  him  in  the  county  of  Chenango,  and  were  apprised  of  his 
removal  from  that  place,  but  had  never  become  acquainted  with 
his  whereabouts  until  we  here  met  with  him.  He  pointed  to  his 
house,  a  few  rods  distant,  and  invited  us  to  stop  and  refresh  our- 
selves, and  team  ;  and  as  it  was  about  the  right  season,  we  grate- 
fully accepted   his   hospitality.     As  we  entered  his  house,  we 

were  introduced,   as  Universalist  preachers,  to  a  Dr. . 

He  was  a  large,  corpulent,  coarse-looking  man,  and  proved  as 
coarse  and  blunt  in  his  demeanor  as  his  physical  appearance  in- 
dicated. After  a  little  conversation  of  a  general  and  common 
character,  during  which  he  eyed  me  with  a  great  deal  of  atten- 
tion, and  apparent  disdain,  addressing  himself  directly  to  me,  he 
said,  "  Are  you  a  preacher  V  drawing  out  the  last  word  to  a 
lengthy  and  disdainful  emphasis.  I  answered,  "  I  sometimes 
have  the  temerity  to  address  a  congregation  on  the  subject  of 
religion."  "  Well,  you  don't  look  much  like  a  ^readier,''''  "  1 
honor  your  judgment,  sir,"  I  replied.  "  No  ;  a  preacher  should 
be  a  great  pursy,  big-bellied  fellow,  who  can  fill  up  a  great 
armed-chair  :  such  a  I'dile^  insigmficant,  diminutive  looking  fel- 
low as  you  are,  surely  don't  look  much  like  a  i^reaclier.'''  And 
he  wei-^t  on  immediately  to  say,  that  he  had  no  great  reverence 
for  preachers  of  any  order,  nor  had  he  any  faith  in  any  of  their 
stuff.  And  according  to  the  account  given  of  Jesus  Christ,  in 
the  Bible — indeed,  according  to  the  account  he  gave  of  himself — 
he  considered  him  one  of  the  worst  men  that  ever  lived  on  the 
face  of  the  earth.  I  remarked,  that  he  had  taken  entirely  a  new 
position.  I  had  met  with  men  who  disbelieved  the  Bible,  and 
several  who  said  they  entertained  very  serious  doubts  that  there 
was  ever  such  a  personage  on  earth  as  Jesus  Christ ;  but  all 
with  whom  I  had  before   conversed,  had  readily  admitted  that 


gl2  MEMOIRS    OP    THE 

the  character  attributed  to  him  by  his  professed  biographers,  was 
good,  even  the  most  unexceptionable  character  they  ever  heard 
delineated  ;  that  he  was  the  first  man  I  ever  met  with,  who  ev- 
er charged  Jesus  Christ  with  folly  or  crime.     Well,  it  was  so, 
and  he  would  prove  it  by  Christ's  own  words ;  for  Christ  said 
he  came  not  to  send  peace  on  earth,  but  a  sword  ;  that  he  came 
to  set  a  man  at  variance  with  his  father  ;  and  the  daughter 
should  be  against  her  mother,  and  the  daughter-in-law  against 
her  mother-in-law  ;  and  a  man's  enemies  should  be  those  of  his 
ow^n  household.     "  Now,"  continued  he,   "  the  man  who  is  wil- 
fully and  knowingly  guilty  of  such  conduct  as  this — who  pur- 
posely stirs  up  intestine  strifes,  and  promotes  discords,  must  be 
a  very  bad  man."     I  soon  discovered  that  he  was  a  captious 
fellow  ;  and  to  attempt  to  offer  an  argument,  or  to  reason  form- 
ally with  him,  would  be  of  little  or  no  use.     But  I  was  very  un- 
willing to  have  him  go  off  exulting,  as  I  presumed  he  had  been 
in   a   habit  of  doing ;  and  after   a    moment's  reflection,  1  said 
to  him,  "  Sir,  are  you  a  republican  ?"     He  answered,  "  Yes,  I 
am  a  thorough-going  one."     "  Well,  sir,  I  am  glad  of  that — I 
thought  you  were."     "  Then,  sir,  you  are  a  friend  to  our  coun- 
try, and  to  the  civil  institutions  of  our  government ;  you  believe 
we  have  a  good  government,  do  you  not,  sir  ?"     "  Yes,  the  best 
tliat  was  ever  established  on  the  face  of  the  earth."     "  Well, 
sir,  do  you  think  the  men  who  planned  and  achieved  our  separa- 
tion from  Great  Britain,  and  established  our  independence,  were 
wise  and  good  men  ?"     "  Yes,  as  good  men  as  the  world  ever 
produced."     "Well,  sir,  I  will  direct  you  to  a  single  individu- 
al— Washington — do  you  believe  he  was  a  good  man  ?"     "  Yes, 
I   consider  him  the  best  man  that  God  ever  made."     "  Well, 
sir,   when  Washington  accepted   the  office  of  Commander-in- 
Chief  of  our  revolutionary  army,  and  resolved  to  conduct  the 
country  to  independence,  peace,  and  prosperity,  could  not  he 
have  said,  with  the  utmost  assurance,  that  he  should  thereby 
set  the  son  against  the  father,  and  the   father  against  the  son, 
and  that  a  man's  enemies  would  be  those  of  bis  own  house'hold  ? 
and  was  it  not  so  ?     Not  that  these  results  were  the  prime  object 
of  his  mission,  far  from  it ;  but  this  would   necessarily  and  un- 
avoidably take  place  in  the  struggle  for  the  revolution,  and  the 
attainment  of  these  great  and  glorious  results  which  you  so  high- 
ly prize."     The  Dr.  dropped  his  head,  and  seemed  to  sit  in  deep 
thought  for  a  few  moments,  and  then,  looking  up,  very  pleasant- 
ly said,  "  I'm  down,  sir — I'm  down — I  give  it  up."     By  this 
time  it  became  necessary  to  pursue  our  journey  ;  we  bade  the 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL  STACY.  313 

eccentric  Dr.  and  our  benevolent  friend  farewell,  and  left  them 
to  their  own  reflections  and  meditations.  I  ever  supposed  that 
the  Dr.  took  this  rough  and  uncouth  course  to  try  me,  and  see 
if  he  could  not  brow-beat  the  "little,  insignificant-looking" 
preacher  down  :  but  I  never  afterwards  saw  him. 

I  may  as  well  here  record  another  more  interesting  interview 
which  1  had  with  a  sceptical  man,  but  a  man  of  more  solemni- 
ty and  dignity,  about  those  days.  I  have  in  possession  no 
means  to  fix  the  date  exactly  ;  but  it  was  not  far  from  this  pe- 
liod. 

A  well-known  and  highly-esteemed  friend  of  mine  called  on 
me  one  afternoon,  and  introduced  a  respectable-looking  gentle- 
man, by  the  cognomen   of  Esquire  J n,   of  Paris,  Oneida 

County.     He  said,  that  Esquire  J n  having  a  strong  desire 

to  converse  with  me,  and  being  a  stranger,  had  requested  him 
to  accompany  him  to  my  house,  which  he  had  very  cheerfully 
complied  with.  I  put  up  their  horses,  and  they  remained  with 
me  until  the  next  morning.  The  Esquire  introduced  the  con- 
versation by  frankly  relating  his  experience.  He  was  educated 
strictly,  in  the  school  of  Calvinism  ;  but  very  early  became  dis- 
satisfied with  the  manifest  inconsistencies  and  contradictions  of 
the  theory,  and  disgusted  with  the  injustice,  partiality,  and  cru- 
elty that  it  ascribed  to  the  Supreme  Creator  ;  and  supposing 
that  the  Bible  supported  that  doctrine,  he  had  thrown  it  aside 
with  disdain,  as  unworthy  to  be  accredited  as  a  revelation  from 
the  Great  Parent  of  moral  nature.  He  believed  in  a  God  ;  for 
he  could  not  resist  the  evidences  of  the  existence  of  infinite  in- 
telligence, or  infinite  wisdom,  power,  and  goodness,  so  clearly 
'displayed  on  the  face  of  the  visible  creation  ;  but  Calvinism  ap- 
peared to  him  as  totally  unworthy  of,  and  actually  repugnant 
to,  every  attribute  of  a  God.  He  had  read  the  Bible*much; 
but  he  had  read  it  exclusively  in  the  light,  or  rather  in  the  dark- 
ness, of  Calvinism  ;  and  solely  for  the  purpose  of  detecting  its 
discrepancies,  and  furnishing  himself  with  arguments  against 
its  truthfulness,  and  with  weapons  with  which  successfully  to 
battle  Christians  ;  and  he  souglit  every  opportunity  to  do  so.  It 
made  no  difference  with  him  to  what  denominations  they  be- 
longed ;  they  were  all  alike  fanatics,  in  his  estimation  ;  and 
nothing  pleased  him  better  than  to  get  hold  of  a  preacher,  throw 
obstacles  and  difficulties  in  his  way,  and  confound  him  upon  his 
own  ground ;  and  he  boasted  of  being  able  to  silence  any  preach- 
er, learned  or  unlearned,  of  any  denomination.  But  a  very 
great  change  had  come  over  his  feelings,  a  change  he  could  not 


JU4  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

satisfactorily  account  for,  upon  his  former  hypothesis  ;  and  com- 
ing upon,  him  from  such  a  source,  so  unexpectedly,  it  had  proved 
a  llieme  of  profound  thought,  of  unexampled  solicitude.  It 
had  caused  him  many  sleepless  nights;  and  having  been  the 
least  acquainted  with  the  theory  of  Universalism  of  any  system 
of  Christianity,  he  felt  so  anxious  to  learn  something  more  about 
it,  and  ascertain  whether  it  was  free  from  the  absurdities  which 
he  invariably  detected  in  other  theories,  and  whether  it  present- 
ed the  character  of  God  in  a  more  amiable  light,  that  he  had 
sought  this  opportunity  to  have  an  interview  with  me. 

He  then  proceeded  to  relate,  circumstantially,  the  steps  by 
which  this  extraordinary  change  of  feeling  came  upon  him. 
He  was  at  work  with  a  neighbor,  a  very  honest,  inoffensive 
man,  but,  as  he  considered,  a  very  ignorant  and  very  supersti- 
tious Christian.  While  at  work,  as  was  his  wont,  he  took 
pleasure  in  teasing  and  hectoring  this  man  on  the  subject  of 
his  religion,  who  at  length  put  a  question  to  him — (the  Esquire 
did  not  tell  me  what  the  question  was) — which  he  answered ; 
but  on  reflection,  although  the  answer  received  no  rejoinder 
from  the  man,  he  was  not  well  satisfied  himself  with  the  answer 
he  had  given  ;  and  it  bore  with  such  weight  upon  his  mind, 
that  before  they  separated,  he  acknowledged  to  the  man  that  he 
was  not  satisfied  with  his  answer  to  the  question,  and  said  he, 
"  I  am  going  to  think  on  it  more,  and  if  I  can  not  give  you  a 
better  answer  than  1  have  given,  I  will  acknowledge  myself 
beat."  But  the  more  he  reflected  on  it,  the  greater  were  the 
difficulties  he  met  with  ;  and  his  feelings  became  quite  excited  on 
the  subject.  He  always  meant  to  be  honest  with  himself,  and 
not  settle  down  on  a  theory  that  was  indefensible  ;  he  there- 
fore formed  a  resolution  to  re-examine  his  whole  theory — for  he 
had  one,  as  he  thought,  well  digested — beginning  at  the  founda- 
tion, and  faithfully  trying  all  its  parts  ;  and,  if  he  found  a  flaw 
in  it,  a  single  idea  which  would  not  bear  strict  scrutiny  in  the 
light  of  reason,  to  reject  it.  He  therefore  began  his  examina- 
tion :  First,  "  There  is  a  God."  This  was  a  self  evident  truth  ; 
all  nature  declared  it ;  and  this  was  the  foundation  of  all  truth 
on  which  all  must  rest.  Secondli/,  "  God  must  be  a  fountain 
of  infinite  intelligence,  and  must  possess  communicable  attri- 
butes, and  these  could  be  nothing  else  than  wisdom,  power,  and 
goodness  ;  and  these  must  be  essential  properties  of  the  divine 
nature,  and  must  be  infinite,  unlimited  ;  he  could  therefore  be 
subject  to  no  change,  nor  any  passion  conflicting  with  these 
essential  attributes."     And  so  reasoning  on,  step  by  step,  very 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  315 

cautiously,  and,  as  he  designed,  impartially  examining  every 
inch  of  ground  that  he  passed  over,  so  as  to  be  perfectly  sure 
that  it  would  bear  the  severest  criticism,  until  at  length  a  flood 
of  light,  which  overwhelmed  him  with  amazement,  and  with 
glory,  burst  upon  his  mental  vision,  and  almost  deprived 
him  of  mortal  respiration.  And  to  use  his  own  words,  "  Had 
I  been  as  superstitious  as  Saul  of  Tarsus,  I  should  have  been 
smitten  to  the  ground  as  suddenly  and  as  violently  as  he  was." 
He  saw  that  God,  not  only  possessed  communicable  attributes, 
but  that  it  was  consistent  with  those  attributes  to  make  a  spe- 
cial revelation  to  mankind;  and  he  felt  fully  convinced  that  he 
had  done  it  ;  and  did  it  not  to  display  his  wrath,  but  as  a  means 
to  carry  into  effect  his  designs  of  infinite  goodness.  "  Why," 
said  he,  "I  saw  the  holy  city,  the  New  Jerusalem,  descend 
from  God  out  of  heaven  ;  I  saw  it  perfected,  and  all  moral  na- 
ture made  holy  and  happy  in  that  blessed  region!"  He  was  a 
new  man — had  new  sources  of  thought  and  meditation,  new 
feelings,  and  inexpressible  joys.  He  read  the  Bible  with 
different  feelings,  and  with  a  diflTerent  design  from  what  he  ever 
did  before,  for  he  began  to  think  it  was  most  probable  that  it 
did  not  contain  a  revelation  from  God.  He  became  satis- 
fied that  it  contained  much  truth,  certainly,  but  there  were  diffi- 
culties still  in  his  way  of  receiving  it  as  an  unadulterated 
revelation ;  and  he  had  sought  this  interview  to  see  if  I  could 
clear  his  mind  from  those  difficulties  and  doubts.  He  firmly 
believed  in  Jesus  Christ,  that  he  was  a  great  Prophet,  and 
Teacher  of  Divine  truth;  but  he  was  afraid  that  his  biogra- 
phers had  interlarded  the  history  of  his  life  with  unfounded  and 
unreasonable  fables.  He  could  not  believe  in  miracles;  nor 
could  he  consent  to  the  account  of  the  miraculous  birth  of 
Christ.  '-Well,  Esq.  J-— n,"  said  I,  "What  is  a  miracle?— 
What  do  you  understand  by  miracles?"  "Why  something 
contrary  to  the  laws  of  nature ;  such  as  raising  the  dead,  or 
curing  diseases  with  a  word,  or  a  touch,  &c."  "And  what 
do  you  mean  by  the  laws  of  nature  ?  Are  they  the  laws  by 
which  God  arranges  and  governs  the  physical  universe  V 
"  Yes,  surely,"  said  he.  "  Well,  are  you  so  well  acquainted 
with  those  laws  as  to  be  able,  in  all  cases,  to  analyze  their  opera- 
tions, and  determine  what  is,  and  what  is  not,  in  accordance  with 
those  laws  ?"  "  No,"  said  he,  "  I  do  not  profess  to  be."  "  Well 
.then,  how  can  you  determine  that  your  definition  of  the  mira- 
cles of  Jesus  is  correct  ?  They  were  certainly  extraordinary, 
uncommon,  and  strange  works,  but  whether  they  were  abso- 


316  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

lutely  contrary  to  the  laws  of  nature,  remains  yet  to  be  proved. 
I  suppose  that  he,  who  gave  nature  her  laws,  is  able,  at  plea- 
sure, and  when  it  will  conduce  to  the  accomplishment  of  his 
own  divine  and  gracious  purposes,  to  modify  and  accommodate 
those  laws  to  the  object  he  designs  to  effect.  Nor  do  I  discov- 
er any  greater  power  requisite  in  raising  one  from  the  dead,  or 
any  greater  perversion  of  the  laws  of  nature,  than  there  is  in 
causing  a  spire  of  grass  to  spring  from  the  seed  and  grow  from 
the  ground.  The  only  difference  is,  one  is  common  to  our  ob- 
servation ;  we  see  it  performed  every  year,  and  we  do  not 
wonder  at  it  ;  while  the  other  occurs  only  on  particular 
occasions,  and  manifestly  to  show  that  He  who  makes  the 
grass  grow,  has  power  also,  without  violating  his  own  laws,  tx) 
raise  the  dead  ;  and  is  able  therefore  to  do  all  things  ;  and  that 
he  is  able,  and  will  fulfil,  all  his  mighty  promises.  Now,  I  will 
suppose  a  case,  and  a  possible  one,  where  a  miracle  would  be 
wrought,  in  the  view  of  an  individual,  as  strange  and  unac- 
countable to  him,  as  it  would  be  for  him  or  you  to  see  one  rise 
from  the  dead  by  the  speaking  of  a  word,  which  to  you  would 
excite  no  wonder.  Take  an  individual  from  the  torrid  zone, 
where  winter  is  never  known,  where  the  earth  is  covered  with 
perpetual  verdure,  where  blossoms  succeed  to  fruit,  and  fruit  to 
blossoms,  without  intermission,  who  shall  have  no  possible 
knowledge  of  the  geography  of  the  earth,  no  acquaintance 
with  any  other  clime  save  that  within  the  circumference  of  his 
own  sensible  hemisphere,  and  in  the  dead  of  winter,  transplant 
him  to  our  cold  region,  and  bid  him  look  around.  He  sees 
nothing  green,  nothing  alive  ;  one  dreary  reign  of  desolation 
and  death  meets  the  widest  stretch  of  his  wondering  gaze,  from 
every  quarter.  The  earth  covered  with  a  cold  white  mantle, 
which  will  forever  prohibit  vegetation  ;  the  streams  have  ceased 
to  flow,  and  no  water  can  be  obtained  to  slake  his  thirst  ;  the 
trees  of  the  forest  are  stripped  of  the  last  vestige  of  foliage,  and 
extend  their  naked  branches  to  the  frigid  bkists  of  the  north 
wind,  and  no  signs  of  vegetable  life  appear  on  the  face  of  the 
earth.  Now  tell  him,  that  in  a  few  weeks,  this  fleece  of  snow 
shall  be  dissolved  and  gone,  that  the  earth  shall  put  on  a  green 
carpet,  and  be  covered  with  vegetation  ;  that  these  trees  shall 
put  forth  leaves,  and  blossom  and  bear  fruit ;  and  he  would  tell 
you  that  it  was  impossible — that  it  was  contrary  to  the  laws  of 
nature.  He  had  seen  trees  stripped  of  their  leaves,  but  they- 
never  again  put  forth  more,  they  were  dead.  But  let  him  wait 
only  a  short  time,  and  all  this  strange,  this  wonderful  work  is  ac- 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  317 

tually  accomplished  in  his  presence  ;  a  miracle,  in  his  view,  as  as- 
tonishing, as  incomprehensible,  as  it  would  have  been  to  you,  to 
havestood  by  the  tomb  of  Lazarus,  and  heard  Jesus  call  him  from 
the  dead  !  We  nowhere  read  in  the  Bible,  as  I  am  aware  of,  that 
miracles  are  a  violation  of,  or  contrary  to  the  laws  of  nature. 
They  are  truly  extraordinary  and  wonderful  occurrences,  and 
are  used  only  to  confirm  immediate  Divine  agency  in  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  special  revelation  from  God.  And  surely,  I  can 
discover  no  more  improbability  in  this  special  manifestation  of 
Divine  agency,  and  I  see  not  why  it  requires  any  greater  stretch 
of  credulity  to  admit  of  it,  than  it  does  to  believe  in  a  special 
revelation,  which  you  say  you  are  convinced  of." 

This  reasoning,  if  it  did  not  convince  him  that  the  miracles 
of  Christ  might  be  true,  stopped  all  further  objections  to  the  ac- 
count of  his  ordinary  miracles ;  but  there  was  yet  one  insur- 
mountable diiliculty  in  his  way  ;  and  he  was  sure,  that  could 
not  be  removed  consistently  with  the.received  history  of  Christ ; 
and  that  was,  the  account  of  his  miraculous  birth — this  he  con- 
sidered an  utter  impossibility.  No  human  being  could  ever  be 
ushered  into  the  present  mode  of  existence  out  of  the  course  of 
ordinary  generation.  "  Well,"  I  said,  "  I  am  strongly  suspicious 
now,  Esq.  J — n,  that  you  are  'straining  at  a  gnat  while  swal- 
lowing a  camel.'  Permit  me  to  ask  you  one  question  ;  which, 
I  am  sensible,  you  can  and  will  frankly  and  honestly  answer  ; 
do  you  belive  there  was  ever  a  first  pair  of  our  race  ?  I  do  not 
mean  to  ask  whether  you  believe  the  Bible  account  of  the  crea- 
tion of  Adam  and  Eve  ;  that  would  make  no  ditTerence  in  tlie 
result.  I  only  ask,  did  our  race  ever  have  a  beginning  ?  Was 
there  ever  a  first  pair  ?"  "  Why,  certainly,"  said  he.  "  Well, 
sir,  how  did  the  first  pair  come  into  existence  ?  Not  by  ordina- 
ry generation,  surely.  And  would  it  not  be  easier,  if  one  thing 
could  be  easier  than  another  with  infinite  Majesty,  to  produce 
a  second  individual  in  the  way  Christ  is  said  to  have  come  into 
our  world,  than  to  produce  a  first  pair  ?"  The  Esquire  dropped 
his  head  a  few  minutes,  and  then  acknowledged  that  tliere  was 
something  new  in  that  argument ;  something  he  had  not  thought 
of.  He  did  not  know  but  the  account  of  the  birth  of  Christ 
might  be  true  after  all  ;  and  he  would  give  this  subject  a  more 
careful  and  dispassionate  examination,  and  from  that  time  he 
never  again  opposed  Christianity.  Not  many  years  after  this 
he  removed  from  the  town  of  Paris,  into  the  western  country. 
But  during  his  residence  in  Paris,  I  repeatedly  called  on  him  ; 
and  he  always,  while  within  the  compass  of  my  knowledge,  at- 


318  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

tended  Universalist  meetings  when  any  way  convenient,  and 
ever  appeared  engaged  in  patronizing  and  supporting  them,  and 
highly  to  enjoy  his  privilege. 

In  1819,  the  Association  held  its  annual  session  in  I^isle, 
Broome  county.  A  small  society  had  been  gathered  there, 
principally,  I  believe,  under  the  labors  of  Dr.  A.  Green.  We 
held  our  meeting  in  a  barn,  and  a  large  congregation  was  in  at- 
tendance. At  tills  time  we  received  an  important  accession  to 
the  ministry  in  the  person  of  Rev.  Thomas  Gross,  a  man  past 
the  ordinary  meridian  of  life,  and  a  convert  from  Presbyterian- 
ism.  He  was  an  educated  man,  and  in  early  life  had  been  set- 
tled as  pastor  of  a  Presbyterian  church  in  the  town  of  Hartford 
Vt.;  but  some  years  previous  had  removed  into  this  vicinity, 
where  he  continued  his  ministry  up  to  that  time.  How- 
ever,  God,  in  the  dispensations  of  his  grace,  and  much,  I  be- 
lieve, through  the  instrumentality  of  Dr.  Green,  caused  the 
light  of  Divine  truth  to  shine  into  his  understanding,  "  Giving 
him  the  light  of  the  glory  of  the  knowledge  of  God,"  in  the 
universal  reconciliation  of  all  moral  ii:iJ;elligences,  through  Je- 
sus Christ  our  I^ord  ;  and  he  met  with  us  here  for  the  first  time, 
and  received  a  letter  of  fellowship  from  the  council.  He  deliv- 
ered a  very  excellent  discourse  from  the  words  of  the  venerable 
Simeon  ;  "Now  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace  accord- 
ing to  thy  word  ;  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation" — » 
which  he  very  appropriately  and  most  pathetically  applied  to  his 
own  case  ;  and  he  did  it  with  effect  upon  his  audience. 

He  subsequently  removed  to  Cortland  village,  where  he  for 
some  years  preached*,  and  taught  an  academ)*.  From  thence 
he  removed  to  Buffalo,  where  he  started  a  periodical,  entitled 
"  The  Gospel  Advocate,"  which  he  conducted  f^r  some  years  ; 
which  then  went  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  Everett,  and  ultimately 
passed  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  D.  Skinner,  and  was  united  with 
the  "  Evangelical  Magazine,"  of  which  Mr.  S.  was  then  pub- 
lisher, in  Utica.  Mr.  Gross  certainly  lived  to  an  advanced  age  ; 
but  whether  he  has  yet  united  with  the  great  congregation  of 
the  dead,  I  have  no  means  of  determining  ;  yet  presume  he  has 
long  since  entered  upon  the  fruition  of  those  joys  which  he  so 
ardently  hoped  for,  and  so  firmly  'believed  in,  as  the  ultimate 
portion  of  all  God's  moral  offspring.  At  this  Association  I  al- 
so became  acquainted  with  Dr.  S.  Adams,  who  was  then  in  the 
practice  of  physic  in  the  town  of  Lisle,  but  who  shortly  after 
this  left,  in  measure,  his  prescriptions  for  physical  ailments, 
and  commenced  administering  the  "  precious  balm  of  Gilead"  to 


LIFE   OP   REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  3l9 

diseased  moral  nature  ;  and  who  has  ever  since  been  known  as 
a  devoted  and  faithful  laborer  in  the  vineyard  of  Christ. 

It  would  be  impossible  for  me,  without  subjecting  myself  to 
vastly  more  labor  and  expense  than  the  importance  of  the  ob- 
ject would  justify,  to  trace  the  Western  Association  through  all 
its  operations,  to  designate  all  the  places  of  its  nneetings  and  re- 
cord its  important  proceedings,  up  to  the  tiiii'?  when  I  re- 
moved from  the  State ;  nor  is  it  by  any  means  necessary.  I 
have  brought  up  the  history  of  Universalism  in  the  State  of 
New  York  from  its  first  budding,  circumstantially  enough,  to 
the  time  when  it  became  an  object  of  some  notoriety  and  conse- 
quence, and  began  to  assume,  in  despite  of  all  the  obloquy 
which  its  enemies  tried  to  heap  upon  it,  a  respectable  standing 
among  the  Christian  denominations  in  the  country  ; — 'to  where 
its  history  is  more  generally  known,  and  its  publication  has 
been  commenced,  and  will,  no  doubt,  be  prosecuted,  by  a  far 
abler  pen.  The  further  historical  incidents  and  anecdotes  of 
the  order  will,  therefore,  be  such  only  as  are  inseparably  con- 
nected with  my  labors,  and  are  indispensably  brought  in,  in  or- 
der to  make  out  a  faithful  auto-biography  of  my  life. 

In  August,  1821, 1  made  a  tour  to  Jefferson  county.  Mr.  C. 
G.  Person  had  removed  to  Ellisburgh,  and  Mr.  Pitt  Morse  wag 
preaching  in  the  town  of  Henderson  and  vicinity.  The  cause 
of  divine  truth  was  prospering  abundantly  under  the  well  di- 
rected labors  of  those  faithful  servants  of  the  divine  Master, 
with  the  occasional  assistance  of  some  others  who  had  visited 
that  region,  A  conference,  or  two  days  meeting,  was  holden 
in  Henderson,  which  afforded  ample  evidence  that  the  hand  of 
the  Lord  was  among  them,  and  that  their  exertions  and  labors 
met  with  divine  approbation.  On  this  tour  I  delivered  two  dis- 
courses in  Henderson,  lectured  in  tliree  different  neighborhoods 
in  Ellisburgh,  and  pursued  my  travels  as  far  as  Sackett's  Flar- 
bor.  I  had  not  visited  this  place  since  my  dreary  campaign  in 
1814;  and  when  I  consented  to  visit  the  place,  which  I  did 
with  reluctance,  the  thought  was  appalling,  and  actually  made 
my  frame  shudder  ;  but  my  astonishment,  on  arriving  at  the 
place,  was  beyond  anything  of  the  kind  I  ever  before  expe- 
rienced. When  I  left  Sackett's  Harbor,  I  bade  an  everlasting 
adieu,  as  I  thought  and  intended,  to  one  of  the  most  filthy  mud- 
holes  I  ever  was  compelled  to  wallow  through,  covered  with  di- 
lapidated barracks,  smarming  with  ruffians,  under  the  appellation 
of  common  soldiers  ;  the  common  dwellings  of  the  inhabitants 
not  much   better  than   the  barracks,  weather-beaten,  old,  and 


320  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

dirty  in  the  extreme,  and,  with  very  few  exceptions,  the  inmates 
equally  as  rough  and  uncivilized  as  the  soldiers,  lost  to  every 
feeling  of  common  humanity  and  common  courtesy,  possessing 
nothing,  scarcely,  in  common  with  the  civilized  world  except 
physical  formation.       But  the  place,  with  all  its  appendages,  had 
undergone   a  most  thorough  renovation.     The  mud  had  given 
way  to  spacious  and  handsomely  graveled  streets,  with  flagged 
side-walks,  ornamented  with  handsome  shade  trees,  and  flower- 
ing  shuhbery  ;   the  filthy  barracks  and  weather-worn  buildings 
were  replaced,  with  handsome  dwellings  and  splendid  edifices  ; 
the  spires  of  several  churches  glittered  in   the  sunbeams,  and 
an  evident  taste,  and  utmost  neatness  were  manifest  in  the  whole 
scenery.     The  former  inhabitants,  if  any  remained,  were  com- 
pletely metamorphosed,  or  were  succeeded  by  a  polite,  civilized, 
and  refined  people.     True,  there  was  yet,  and  probably  always 
will  be,  while  this  continues  to  be  a  frontier  port,  a   standing 
force  of  regular  troops  stationed  here  ;  but  they  had  splendid 
brick  barracks,  inclosing  three  sides  of  a  large  square,  or  gar- 
den laid    out  with  the   finest  taste,  with  neat  gravel  walks, 
ndorned  with  the  most  beautiful  shrubbery  and  cultivated  in  the 
best  manner,  open  to  the  bay,  where  lay  the  shipping,  and  af- 
fording one  of  the  most  pleasant  promenades  imaginable  :  and 
both  officers  and  soldiers  not  only  exhibited  the  utmost  neatness 
in  their  dress — their  equipments  glittering  with  silver  brightness 
— but,  in  their  manner  and  demeanor,  the  civilian  and  the  gen- 
tleman.    Here,  also,  I  found  a  small  Universalist,  or  rather  Re- 
storationist  (for  I  choose  to  call  things  by  the   names  their  pos- 
sessors best  relish)  society  and  meeting-house.     Many  years  be- 
fore this,  a  gentleman  from  Europe,  (England,)  by  the  name  of 
Luff,  if  my  memory  serves  me,  settled  in  this  place — (I  think 
he  had  a  partner  in  his  work  of  benevolence  ;   but  the  name  if 
ever  I  had  it,  1   have  lost ;  nor   will  I  be  very  positive  that  I 
have  got  the  name  of  this  gentleman  right) — and  preached  the 
doctrine  of  the  Final  Restitution,  and,  at  his  or  their  own  ex- 
pense, built  a  small  meeting-house.     He  was  an  acquaintance  of 
Mr.  Billinghurst ;  they  either  formed  an  acquaintance  in  their 
native  country,  or  in  consequence  of  their  nationa4ity  and  sym- 
pathy in  religious  sentiments,   formed  an  acquaintance  in  tlte 
nev/  world  ;  and  they  often  exchanged  compliments,  and  some- 
times visits.      The  meeting-house  was  standing  in  an  unfinished 
state  at  the  time  of  my  campaign,  and  was  used  as  a  hospital. 
I  often  visited  it,  and,  found  it  filled,  both  the  body  of  the  house 
and  the  galleries,  vv ith  the  poor  sick  and  dying  soldiers ;  and 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  321 

almost' every  day  followed  some  poor  fellow  to  his  final  resting- 
place  in  the  hosom  of  our  "  mother  earth." 

Whether  Mr.  L.  was  in  the  place  at  that  time,  I  knew  not ; 
I  heard  him  spoken  of  by  some  of  the  inhabitants,  but  did  not 
see  him.  H  he  was  absent  then,  he  returned  after  the  war,  and 
finished  his  meeting-house  in  good  style  ;  he  collected  a  re- 
spectable congregation,  and  administered  to  them  *'  All  the 
words  of  this  life  ;"  and  on  my  visit  to  Sackett's  Harbor  at  this 
time,  I  enjoyed  the  happiness  of  delivering  an  evening  lecture 
in  that  house.  I  found  Mr.  L.  a  very  pleasant  and  well-in- 
formed man  ;  but  a  man  of  considerable  eccentricity,  aiid  pos- 
sessing  very  peculiar  doctrinal  opinions,  of  which  he  was  very 
tenacious.  Although  he  called  himself  a  Restorationist,  and 
zealously  and  boldly  advocated  the  doctrine  of  the  final  holi- 
ness of  all  mankind,  still  he  could  not  have  full  feiiowship 
ivith  our  denomination,  and  never,  to  my  knowledge,  attended 
any  of  our  Associations.  A  , 

■  From  Sackett's  Harbor  I  went  to  Brownville,  and  Water- 
town,  and  delivered  a  discourse  in  each  of  those  places;  and 
another  in  the  village  of  Tayburgh,  on  my  way  home. 

I  have  traveled  and  labored  very  considerably  in  Northern 
and  Western  Pennsylvania.  My  first  visit  to  this  State  was 
made  in  February,  1822.  A  friend  of  mine,  residing  in  the 
town  of  Eaton,  had  relatives  living  in  the  town  of  Warren, 
Bradford  county,  who  became  extremely  anxious  that  the  doc- 
trine should  be  introduced  into  that  region,  where  it  M-as 
scarcely  known  even  byname,  except  by  two  or  three  individ- 
uals; and  through  his  importunity  in  their  behalf,  I  consented 
to  make  the  tour,  by  his  agreeing  to  accompany  me.  I  had 
learned,  some  years  previous,  that  there  had  been  a  respectu- 
ble  and  ilourishing  society  in  existence,  in  the  town  of  Sheshe- 
quin,  whicti  had  formerly  enjoyed  the  labors  of  Mr.  Noah  Mur- 
ray, and  subsequently  of  Mr.  Park,  both  of  whom  were  then 
dead  ;  and  the  probability  was,  the  society  had  had  no  preach- 
ing for  a  long  season  ;  I  therefore  made  arrangements  to  visit 
them  also,  on  my  tour.  I  found  the  doctrine  was  entirely  new 
to  most  of  the  people  ;  no  preacher  of  the  order  ever  liavino- 
visited  that  place.  But  the  opposition  was  by  no  means  as  vio- 
lent as  in  most  new  places  I  had  visited.  Indeed,  it  was  not 
violent  enough  ;  those  who  did  not  believe  it,  seemed  to  pay 
but  little  attention  to  it ;  there  was  not  opposition  enough  to 
produce  any  excitement,  and  notliing  could  be  done  to  produce 
any  permanent  or  lasting  effect.  '  I  delivered  several  dis- 
u 


322  MEMOIRS   OF   THE 

courses  in  Warsaw,  one  in  Pike,  and  one  in  Orwell;  and  on  my 
way  from  thence  to  Sheshequin,  I  gave  a  lecture  in  Wysox. 
I  lectured  also  in  Sheshequin,  and  Athens,  Tioga  Point ;  and 
on  my  way.  home,  in  the  town  of  Fabius,  New  York. 

In  Sheshequin  and  Athens,  I  had  large  congregations,  and 
found  some  of  the  most  repectable  and  influential  inhabitants 
strong  and  bold  in  the  faith.  And,  indeed,  how  should  it  be 
otherwise,  when  for  years  they  had  enjo5^ed  the  labors  of  some 
of  our  most  able  divines.  Athens  was  the  residence  of  the 
venerable  Noah  Murray^  Avhen  he  united  with  our  denomina- 
tion; and  to  which  he  returned  after  his  tour,at  that  time,  through 
New  England,  and  where  much  of  his  preaching  was  em- 
ployed, until  he  was  called  home  to  enter  upon  his  higher  life. 
He  had  died  a  few  years  before  the  time  of  which  I  speak,  but 
his  widow,  and  most  or  all  the  surviving  members  of  his  fam- 
ily, resfded  here,  whom  I  had  the  pleasure  to  visit. 

Mr.  Murray  had  been  insyajmental  in  converting  to  the 
faith  ?)f  Universal  Grace  a  l^ptist  minister,  of  good  talents 
and  extensive  influence,  by  the  name  of  Park,  who  resided  a 
neighbor  to  him,  and  who,  for  a  season  after  his  death,  admin- 
istered to  these  people  the  same  "  spiritual  meat.''  But  Mr. 
Park  had,  also,  before  my  visit  to  the  place,  been  called  from 
his  earthly  labors.  He  also  left  a  widow,  and  quite  a  numer- 
ous and  highly  respectable  family,  with  whom  I  formed  a 
happy  acquaintance.  But  a  curse  had  fallen  upon  that  people 
in  the  shape  of  impostors,  which  had  depressed  their  spirits  and 
almost  fatally  discouraged  them. 

During  the  last  sickness  of  Mr.  Park,  Squire  Streeter,  a 
young  man  of  prepossessing  appearance,  and  of  good  speaking 
talents,  visited  that  place,  and  for  a  season  preached  with  them 
to  great  acceptance.  They  were  captivated  with  his  elo- 
quence, and  reposed  unbounded  confidence  in  him  ;  but  alas! 
he  sailed  under  false  colors.  He  had,  some  years  before  this, 
received  a  letter  of  fellowship  from  the  Association  in  the 
State  of  New  Hampshire,  I  think,  but  had  been  guilty  of  sad 
misdemeanor,  for  which  he  was  expelled.  About  the  time 
of  his  expulsion  he  left  New  England,  and  traveled  west,  and 
keeping  a  little  in  advance  of  the  notice  of  his  crime,  and  ex- 
communication, imposed  on  several  societies  for  a  season  ;  and 
the  last  place  of  his  resort,  within  the  limits  of  my  know- 
ledge, was  Sheshequin.  Two  or  three  days  only  before 
^  the  intelligence  of  his  character  and  standing  reached  that 
place,  he  took  a  sudden  and  unexpected  leave  of  the  people, 


LIFE,  OF    REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  323 

and  of  Mr.  Park,  then  on  a  sick  bed  and  near  his  ^nal  exit  ; 
stepped  aboard  of  a  boat,  and  went  down  the  Susquehanna 
river,  leaving  his  friends  in  wonder  and  sad  disappointment. 
But  their  amazement  was  of  short  duration  ;  a  few  days  ex- 
plained the  whole  of  his  conduct. 

Their  next  visit  was  from  David  Gilson,  a  man,  also,  of  su- 
perior  speaking  talents,  and  who  had  once  received  a  testimo- 
nial of  fellowship  from  the  Western  Association  ;  but  his  char- 
acter became  such  that  he  retained  his  standing  but.  a  very- 
short  time.  They  received  him  with  some  caution  ;  but  he 
ingratiated  himself  into  their  favor  by  a  prudent  course  for  a 
short  time,  until  he  gained  their  confidence,  and  obtained  some 
substantial  pecuniary  favors,  when  he  gradually  began  to 
throw  off  his  mask,  and  indulge  in  his  old  habit  of  intemper. 
ance, — disappointed  their  hopes,  and  left  them  in  a  complete 
state  of  discouragement.  So  much  disheartened  were  they  by 
the  impositions  which  had  been  practiced  upon  them,  that  they 
had  resolved  never  again  to  give  countenance  to  a  stranger. 
The  widow  Park  said  to  me,  "  Br.  Stacy,  had  not  your  name 
been  here  long  before  you  came,  you  could  never  have  got  up 
a  meeting  in  this  place;  it  was  your  name,  not  your  talents, 
which  procured  you  such  respectable  congregations.  We 
have  bpen  so  abused  and  imposed  upon  by  vile  characters  un- 
der the  garb  of  the  Gospel,  that  we  had  nearly  resolved  never 
again  to  put  confidence  in  any  man  who  came  in  that  pofession, 
nor  encourage  him  enough  to  attend  meeting.  But  we  had 
long  heard  of  you  ;  and  when  your  name  was  announced,  it 
aroused  us  from  our  despondency,  and  inspired  hope." 

The  cause  had  flourished  heretofore,  in  this  region,  under 
the  ministry  of  Mr.  Murray  and  Mr.  Park  ;  not  only  in  She- 
shequin  and  Athens,  but  in  Towanda,  the  county  seat,  and  in 
the  adjacent  towns;  and  they  very  much  wished  to  see  the  re- 
vival of  truth  once  more  in  that  region.  They  solicited,  most 
earnestly,  another  vis^;  and  my  own  feeling  pleaded  so  strong- 
ly in  their  behalf,  th"  before  I  left  them  1  made  a  promise  to 
improve  the  first  opportunity  that  a  kind  Providence  should 
grant,  to  renew  my  visit  and  spend  a  longer  season. 

Another  opportunity,  however,  did  not  occur  to  visit  Sheshe- 
quin  until  a  year  from  the  June  following,  (1823).  I  was  then 
enabled  to  make  a  second  tour  in  that  region,  and  spend  three 
Sabbaths  ;  one  in  Sheshequin;  one  in  Athens,  and  another  in 
Towanda  ;  and  in  the  intervening  season,  besides  delivering 
lectures    in  all  the    above-named  towns,    I   held   meetings  in 


S24  MEMOli^  OF    THE 

Litchfield,, Burlington,  Troy,  Lansingburgh,  Sugar  Creek  ; 
and  in  Jackson,  Tioga  county  ;  and  on  my  way  home  after 
leaving  Tioga  Point,  I  lectured  in  Owego,  Union,  and  Windsor. 

My  third  visit  was  made  in  August,  1824.  At  that  time  I 
spent  two  Sabbaths  with  them,  and  lectured  in  most  of  the 
places  I  had  visited  on  my  former  visit. 

The  society  in  Sheshequin  had  now  thoroughly  revived,  had 
reoriranized,  and  sent  dele2:ates  with  me  to  the  Chenanfjo  Asso- 
elation  wliich  met  this  year  in  the  town  of  Hopbottom,  (now 
Brooklyn,)  Susquehanna  county,  and  by  application  obtained  the 
appointment  for  its  next  session  in  Sheshequin. 

]\Iy  fourth  and  last  visit  to  that  interesting  people  was  made 
at  the  time  of  the  session  of  the  Association,  September,  1825. 
At  that  time  v/e  enjoyed  an  interesting  and  a  profitable  meeting. 
No  meeting-house  had  been  erected  in  the  place  by  any  denom- 
ination ;  but  an  extensive  booth  was  prepared  for  the  occasion, 
in  front  of  the  dwelling-house  of  Esq.  Kinney,  grandfather  of  the 
celebrated  and  lamented  Mrs.  J.  H.  Scott  ;  and  a  congregation 
assembled  more  than  could  be  accommodated  in  the  house  and 
this  temporary  apartment.  A  large  number  of  preachers,  for 
the  time  and  that  part  of  the  country,  attended  the  session,  and 
among  tliem  were  Mr.  Potter,  and  a  very  promising  young 
man,  just  entered  upon  the  clerical  profession,  by  the  name  of 
Doolittle,  Avho  has,  from  that  period,  successfully  devoted  his 
time  and  talents  to  the  promulgation  of  the  Gospel,  and  now 
holds  a  prominent  position  among  the  ablest  preachers  in  our 
denomination.  At  this  session,  also,  a  letter  of  fellowship  was 
granted  to  Elder  Whipple,  a  convert  from  the  Baptists,  who  also 
proved  an  active  and  profitable  laborer  in  the  vineyard,  and 
who,  but  a  short  time  since,  closed  a  long  and  industrious  life, 
rejoicing  in  the  faith  of  Universal  Salvation. 

My  wife  accompanied  me  on  this  journey ;  and  we  visited  a 
brother  of  hers,  v/ho  had,  a  few  years  before  this,  removed  from 
Vermont  into  the  town  of  Jackson,  Tioga  county.  Here  I 
delivered  a  discourse  ;  and  on  our  way  l^Riie,  we  held  meetings 
in  Union,  and  Binghamton,  where  large  congregations  assem- 
bled, especially  in  the  last-merttioned  place. 

In  the  autumn  of  1822,  I  attended  the  session  of  the  Genesee 
Branch,  which  held  its  annual  meeting  in  the  town  of  Hope- 
well, formerly  a  part  of  Gorham,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
first  general  meeting  I  ever  attended  in  that  country';  and  it 
was  exceedingly  gratifying  to  see  the  change  which  about  ten 
years  had  wrought  in  the  aspect  of  the  cause.     Societies  and 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  325 

preachers  had  multiplied,  and  a  wide-spread  interest  was  abun- 
dandy  manifest  from  the  multiple  which  thronged  the  courts 
of  the  Lord  on  this  occasion.  One  able  preacher  had,  by  emi- 
gration, been  recently  added  to  the  faithful  little  band  whose  la- 
bors had  already  accomplished  so  much.  Mr.  HoUis  Sampson, 
a  man  of  sterling  pulpit  talents,  who  commenced  his  clerical 
functions  in  connection  with  the  Methodist  denomination,  and, 
seceding  from  them,  had  been  once  settled  as  pastor  of  a  Con- 
gregationalist  cimrch  in  Wilmington  Vt.,  still  persevering 
in  his  theological  researches,  and  growing  from  "  one  degree  of 
faith  to  another,  embraced  the  doctrine  of  the  final  Restitution, 
and  boldly  entered  on  its  ministry.  A  little  before  this,  he  had 
penetrated  into  this  section  of  country,  and  fixed  his  residence 
in  the  town  of  Stafford,  Genesee  county,  and  was  doing  a  great 
work  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom  in  this  part 
of  his  heritage.  Mr.  Alfred  Peck,  who  had  spent  some  little 
time  in  my  family  when  quite  a  youth,  and  who  had,  with  un- 
tiring patience  and  perseverance,  through  obstacles  insurmount- 
able to  ordinary  minds,  pursued  a  resolution  formed  when  a 
boy,  until  he  had  become  an  acceptable  preacher  of  the  Great 
Salvation,  had  also  taken  up  his  residence  in  this  country. 
He  accompanied  Mr.  Sampson  to  the  Association,  and  was  here 
set  apart  by  solemn  ordination  to  the  work  of  an  evangelist. 

On  this  tour,  I  spent  one  Sabbath  in  Le  Roy,  one  in  Pittsford, 
and  lectured  in  Batavia  and  Stafford  ;  and  on  my  way  home 
delivered  one  discourse  in  the  town  of  Galen,  on  the  canal,  in 
Wayne  county.  It  was  most  exhilarating  to  my  feelings,  while 
traveling  through  the  Genesee  country,  to  witness  the  advance- 
mentof  the  cause  of  divine  truth,  the  increase  of  laborers,  and 
springing  up  of  societies  ;  the  engagedness  manifested  to  hear 
the  word  and  inquire  after  truth,  where,  ten  or  eleven  years 
before,  I  had  found,  in  a  doctrinal  sense  at  least,  a  howling 
wilderness. 

The  first  meeting  (conference)  for  the  purpose  of  deliberating 
on  the  propriety  and  expediency  of  organizing  another  agsocia- 
tion,  comprising  the  counties  of  Chenango  and  Broome,  and  the 
northern  counties  of  Pennsylvania,  adjacent,  was  holden  in  Nor- 
wich, Oct.  31st,  1822.  It  was  resolved,  at  that  meeting,  that 
it  was  both  expedient  and  necessary  that  such  an  association 
should  be  organized  ;  and  that  it  should  be  denominated  The 
Chenango  Association  of  Vniversalisis,  and  should  hold  its  first 
meeting  in  the  village  of  Oxford,  in  Sept.,  1823.  Plitherto  we 
had  kept  up  a  communication  between  the  different  branches  of 


326  MEMOIRS  OF   THE 

our  association,  and,  as  far  as  possible,  with   the  General  Con-    j 
vention  of  New  England,  aft  with  sister   asociations,  by  visit-   J 
ing  committees,  as  we  chose  to  call  them,  or  delegates  appoint-    i 
ed  from  one  to  the  other.     But  we  were  now  increasing  to  that   i 
degree,  two  or  more  branches  of  the  Western  Association  being 
already  organized,  and  several  more  in  agitation,  which  very 
soon  would  necessarily  receive  a  separate  existence,  that  L  be- 
gan very  soriously  to  apprehend  a  great  inconvenience,  and,  in- 
deed, an  impracticability,  of  keeping  up  any  thing  like  a  gen- 
eral intercourse  through  these  temporary  committees  ;  it  would 
require  too  much  time,  and  would  infringe  too  much  upon  our 
engagements  with  societies.     Still  an  intercourse,  and  a  regular 
communication  from  one  branch  of  the  great  body  to  the  other,  j 
was  not  only  desirable,  but  appeared  to  me  absolutely  necessary,  ] 
not  only  for  mutual  encouragement  and  support,  but  to  main- 
tain wholesome  order    and  discipline  in  our  ranks  ;    and  the  , 
thought  suggested  itself  to  my  mind,  that  this  might  be  most  ea-  ^ 
sily  and  successfully  done  by  the  organizing  of  a  State  Con- 
vention, composed  of  delegates  from  each  Association,  which  • 
should  hold  a  yearly  meeting  for  that  purpose.     No  such  body 
yet  existed  in  our  denomination.     All  those  bodies  which  had  i 
yet  been  formed,  by  whatsoever  name  they  were  designated, 
associations  or  conventions  ;  were  nothing  more  than  the  simple 
association,  or  meeting  of  the  churches  or  societies  by  delega- 
tion.    I  once  proposed,  at  a  session  of  what  was 'called  the  Gen- 
eral Convention,  (though  in  fact  it  was  nothing  more  than  an 
ordinary  association,  composed  of  delegates  from  individual  so- 
cieties and  churches,)  holden  in  the  city  of  Hudson,  to  have  j 
that  body  change  its  constitution  into  a  convention,  to  be  com-  j 
posed  of  delegates  exclusively  from  associations  ;  and  prevail-  i 
ed  on  Mr.  Carrique  to  make  a  motion  to  that  effect.     But  it  met  : 
with  opposition,  and  the  motion  was  withdrawn.     Nevertheless, 
I  thought  that  such  organization  v/ould  become  necessary,  as  I 
our  borders  enlarged  and  our  associations  increased  in   num-  j 
bers ;.  and  I  thought  this  a  proper  season  to  begin  with  it  in  our  I 
own  State.  *  *  I 

I  had  no  idea  of  creating  a  hierarchy,  of  investing  this  body  ; 
with  supreme  or  superior  prerogatives,  whereby  it  could  im- 
pose creeds  or  rules  of  discipline  on  churches,  societies,  or  as- 
sociations. I  considered  all  power,  under  the  great  Head  of 
the  church,  to  rest  originally  with  the  people  ;  tliat  any  num-  ' 
ber,  therefore,  of  the  people,  Avho  felt  disposed  lo  unite  for  mu-  \ 
tual  aid  and  religious  improvement  and  worship,  had  the  inalien-  j 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  32 

able  right  to  adopt  such  constitution  and  form  of  government  as 
they  considered  adapted  to  their  circumstances,  as  Christians — 
to  choose  their  own  teachers  and  officers,  and  ordain  them — ^to 
change  them  at  pleasure,  and,  in  all  cases,  to  deal  with  their 
own  members.  But,  if  they  saw  fit,  for  their  own  convenience 
or  safety,  to  do  these  things  or  any  part  thereof  by  meeting  in 
association  with  any  other  churches,  through  delegates  chosen 
directly  by'  themselves,  and  from  their  own  body,  they  had  an 
indisputable  right  so  to  do ;  though  their  delegates  should  pos- 
sess no  rightful  authority  to  transfer  the  trust  or  power  commit- 
ted to  them  by  the  church  to  another  body,  in  which  the  church 
has  no  direct  representative.  This  was  my  view  of  the  subject 
then;  and  it  is  so  now.  The  convention  which  I  proposed  was 
simply  designed  as  a  center  of  communication,  where  delegates 
should  meet  together,  once  a  year,  from  all  the  branches  of 
the  great  body — bring  in  the  joyful  intelligence  of  the  prosper- 
ity of  the  cause  throughout  all  its  ramifications — consult  toge- 
ther for  mutual  improvement  and  the  adoption  of  such  general  _ 
measures  as  might  be  believed  would  promote  the  best  interest 
of  Zion  ;  and  diffuse  from  this  center,  or  heart,  the  life-blood 
through  the  proper  channels,  or  arteries,  to  all  the  members  of 
this  ecclesiastical  body.  No  ecclesiastical  power  was  to  be  in- 
vested in  it,  not  even  the  power  to  grant  letters  of  fellowship,  or 
to  confer  ordination  ;  as  these  powers  belonged  originally  and 
exclusively  to  the  churches ;  and  this  body  was  too  far  re- 
moved from  the  churches  to  exercise,  rightfully,  any  authority  of 
the  kind.  All  the  power  it  could  of  right  exercise  was  merely 
appellatory  or  advisatory.  It  might  hear  appeals  from  con- 
tending associations,  and,  as  an  arbitration,  settle  differences  be- 
tween preachers  and  associations.;  and  it  would  properly  give 
counsel,  and  determine  as  to  the  expediency  of  organizing  new 
associations,  and  determine  their  territorial  limits. 

I  therefore  suggested  to  the  council  of  the  Chenango  Associ- 
ation, at  its  first  session,  the  idea  of  a  State  Convention ;  ex- 
plained my  views  of  the  character  of  such  a  body,  as  well  as  I 
could,  and  the  utility  and  importance  of  it ;  and  it  met  the  undi- 
vided approval  of  the  whole  council.  Steps  were  then  taken  to 
try  the  feelings  of  the  other  associations  on  the  subject,  and 
delegates  were  chosen  to  meet,  on  a  certain  time  the  next  sea- 
son, if  the  other  associations  approved  of  the  plan,  to  more  ful- 
ly discuss  the  subject,  and,  if  thought  advisable,  to  prepare  a 
constitution  for  such  a  body  ;  and  the  delegates  to  the  other 
associations  were  particularly  instructed  to  lay  the  subject  be- 
fore them  at  their  next  meetinsi:. 


S2S  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

Mr.  Ackley  was  appointed  delegate  to  the  Genesee  Associa- 
tion, which  would  hold  its  meeting  next  in  order.  But,  he 
either  did  not  himself  fully  understand  the  characterof  the  body 
designed  to  be  organized,  or  he  could  not  make  that  council  un- 
derstand him.  They  obtained  totally  a  wrong  idea  concerning 
'it;  construed  it  into  an  ecclesiastical  hierarchy;  branded  me, 
as  being  the  mover  of  it,  with  the  epithet  of  Pope,  and  spiritual 
tyrant — as  seeking  to  be  lord  over  the  herit;;ge  of  God  ;  and 
spurned  the  idea  with  disdain.  I  was  appointed  to  lay  the 
subject  before  the  Western,  the  parent  association.  But  the 
breeze,  or  rather  gale,  which  had  been  raised  by  some  -of  the 
members  of  the  Genesee  Association,  and  their  misunderstand- 
ing of  the  character  of  the  body  proposed  to  be  formed,  had 
produced  such  a  prejudice  against  it,  that  before  1  had  an  op- 
portunity of  introducing  it  before  the  council,  I  was  satirically 
rallied  upon  it ;  and  the  idea  was  treated  with  ridicule  and  even 
levity  by  those  who,  in  less  than  one  year  afterwards,  saw  the 
necessity  of  such  a  body  I  merely  replied  to  their  ridi- 
cule, that  under  such  circumstances  I  would  not  introduce  it  at 
all,  but  would  let  the  matter  rest  until  they  saw  the  necessity  of 
such  an  organization  ;  and  I  assured  them  that  they  would,  ere 
long,  see  such  necessity,  and  would  then  treat  the  subject  with 
more  seriousness  :  and  sure  enough  they  did.  From  that  time 
it  became  a  subject  of  serious  reflection  among  the  most  intelli- 
orent  of  the  denominJilion  ;  and  the  very  next  year  the  subject 
was  brought  up  in  the  Western  Association  ;  and  those  very 
same  individuals  who  had  treated  me  with  ridicule  because  of 
it,  the  year  previous,  became  its  most  zealous  advocates;  and  it 
was  never  again  abandoned  until  a  convention  was  permanently 
established.  The  struggle,  however,  was  rendered  long  and 
hard  by  the  opposition,  and  even  obstinacy,  of  some  of  the 
members  of  the  Genesee  Association  ;  one  of  whom,  in  partic- 
ular, has  not,  even  to  this  day,  abandoned  his  inveterate  enmity 
to  it.  It  has  undergone  several  modifications  since  its  first  or- 
ganization ;  but  it  is  not  now,  in  my  estimation,  as  good,  as  prof- 
itable, and  as  safe  a  body  as  I  first  proposed. 


CHAPTEE  XIV. 


Organization  of  Black  River  Association— Warren  Skinner— A  text  given — The 
discourse — Tour  to  Genesee  and  Cayuga  Associations — Disaffection — Mr. 
Flagler's  opposition— Further  views  of  the  powers  of  the  Convention — Di- 
gression ;  and  Mr.  Flaglei-'s  course  at  the  Genesee  and  Cayxiga  Associations, 
in  1828— W.  J.  Reese— Meetings  in  Onondaga  and  Maulius— Supplies  the 
desk  for  a  short  tune  for  Mr.  Smith,  in  Philadelphia — Journey — Reception — 
Mr.  P.  Morse — State  of  society — 'Habits— Jewish  Synagogue^4th  of  July — 
Congress  Hall,  1776— Death  of  Ex-Presidents  John  Adams  and  Thomas  Jef- 
fei-son^Address  on  the  occasion— Bishop  White — •Return  journey— Visit  in 
New  York  city — In  Hudson — T.  F.  King — 'Chenango  Association— Meeting- 
house in  Nelson — Engagement  to  preach  in  Nelson — Mr.  E.  M.  Wooley — 
Journey  to -Vermont — General  Convention — Meeting  with  Mr.  Ballou — Meet- 
ing in  Fort  Ann — 'Arrival  at  Bridgewater,  Vt.— My  mother — Bari'^ — 'My  wife's 
sister— Our  reception — Northern  Association — -Mr.  Williams ;  his  defection — 
Meeting  in  Barre — In  Bridgewater — Return — State  of  the  cause — Engagement 
inSanquoit — Associations — Dr.  J.  B.  Pierce — Visit  to  Lyons — Three  Sabbaths 
in  Lyons — Hon.  Myron  Holley — Newark. 

The  Black  River  Association  was  organized  in  1824,  and  its 
fir.st  se.ssion  was  holden  in  Brownville,  Jefferson  county.  No 
ordinary  consideration  prevented  me  from  attending  all  such 
meetings  within  reasonable  limits  ;  not  only  because  of  the  im- 
portance attached  to  them,  but  because  of  the  high  gratification 
and  the  indescribable  happiness  it  afforded  me,  in  beholding  the 
enlargement  of  the  boundaries  of  our  Zion,  and  hearing  the 
soul-rejoicing  reports  from  tbe  messengers  of  truth,  brought  in 
from  its  various  branches.  Few  could  realize  and  enjoy  what 
I  did.  I  had  seen  one  little  society  stand  tottering  alone,  within 
the  whole  compass  of  territory  containing  more  them  fifty  socie- 
ties at  that  time,  and  then  organizing  its  fourth  association  ;  and 
the  small  figure  3  would  number  all  the  preachers  within  the 
limits  which  then  required  fifteen  times  that  number  to  count. 
To  me,  this  did  not  look  like  "The  day  of  small  things  ;"  for  the 
"  Stone  taken  from  the  mountain,  without  hands,"  in  its  onward 


330  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

roll,  was  gathering  velocity  and  magnitude  infinitely  beyond 
my  most  sanguine  anticipations.  At  this  meeting,  I  became 
first  acquainted  with  Warren  Skinner,  Esq.,  who  resided  in  the 
village  of  Brownville,  and  who,  shortly  after  this,  began  his 
proclamation  of  this  great  salvation,  and  who  now  holds  a  con- 
spicuous standing  among  its  most  able  advocates. 

On  the  last  day  of  the  session  a  request  was  sent  in,  by  some 
person,  to  have  a  discourse  delivered  from  the  22d  verse  of  the 
13th  chapter  of  Ezekiel  :  "  Because  of  lies  ye  have  made  the 
heart  of  the  righteous  sad,"  &c.  It  was  supposed,  at  any  rate, 
to  have  come,  originally,  from  an  opposer  of  the  doctrine,  who 
considered  it  peculiarly  applicable  to  the  preachers  of  our  or- 
der ;  and  many  manifested  a  great  solicitude  that  it  should  be 
attended  to.  But  to  deliver  a  discourse  from  it  that  day  would 
materially  interfere  with  the  arrangements  of  the  speakers,  and 
especially  with  mine,  and  I  did  not  consider  the  subject  appro- 
priate to  the  occasion  ;  and  as  I  had  agreed  to  improve  the  fol- 
lowins:  Sabbath  in  Watertown,  I  informed  the  messenfjer  that  if 
I  could  have  the  use  of  the  meeting-house  we  then  occupied,  (it 
belonged  to  some  Partialist  denomination  ;  the  Baptists,  I  be- 
lieve.) I  would  deliver  a  discourse  from  the  text,  on.the  Sabbath 
following,  at  5  o'clock,  p.  m.,  if  that  would  satisfy.  The  pro- 
position was  accepted,  the  use  of  the  house  insured,  and  the  ap- 
pointment given  out  at  the  close  of  our  services. 

The  time  arrived,  and  the  house  was  filled  to  overflowing. 
In  the  first  place,  I  endeavored  to  give  a  brief  history  of  the 
text,  showing  the  then  condition  of  the  Jewish  church,  and  the 
proper  orifrinal  meaning  of  the  prophet,  and  the'  application  of 
the  text  to  the  false  prophets  in  Israel.  And  in  the  next  place, 
dwelt  upon  tlie  gross  perversion  of  the  text,  by  those  who  were 
in  a  very  constant  habit  of  using  it,  and  lugging  it  entirely  out 
of  its  connection,  and  pressing  it  into  a  service  the  most  distant 
from  any  meaning  the  inspired  penman  could  possibly  have  at- 
tached to  it;  and  then,  by  "turning  the  tables,"  I  applied  it, 
with  all  the  posver  and  severity  I  was  master  of;  by  showing 
the  analogy  between  the  characters  of  the  false  prophets  of  Is- 
rael, who  "  dealt  partial  in  the  law,""  who  '-  prophesied  for  re- 
ward," who  "  looked  every  man  to  his  gain  from  his  quarter," 
M'ho  could  "  bite  with  their  teeth  while  they  cried  peace,"  and 
"prepared  war  against  every  one  who  would  not  put  into  their 
mouths,"  and  a  certain  class,  or  classes,  of  professed  prophets 
in  the  Christian  church,  who  arrogated  to  themselves  all  tempo- 
ral and  spiritual  immunities  ;  and  made  the  "  hearts  of  the 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  331 

righteous  sad" — desolate,  by  producing  scepticism,   darkness, 
unreconciliation,  despair,  delirium,  and  death. 

They  had  voluntarily  put  a  weapon  into  my  hands,  and  I  felt 
justified  in  using  it.  The  audience  gave  profound  attention, 
and  I  could  discover  visible  manifestations  of  surprise  on  many 
countenance.  What  effect  it  ultimately  had,  I  am  not  able 
to  say.  But  opposers  generally  satisfied  themselves,  in  those 
days,  with  the  trite  remark,  "  The  devil  always  helps  Univer- 
salists."  •  ^ 

Besides  the  places  already  mentioned,  I  delivered  discourses, 
on  this  tour,  in  Field's  Settlement,  Watertown,  Sackett's  Har- 
hj^i',  and  Richland. 

I  remained  at  home  but  two  Sundays  after  returning  from  my 
last  visit  to  Bradford  County,  Pa.,  in  1825,  before  starting  on 
another  tour  to  the  west.  The  Ontario  Association,  formerly 
the  Genesee  Branch,  held  its  session  in  Parma,  Monroe  County, 
on  .the  third  Wednesday  in  September,  1825  ;  and  the  Cayuga 
Association  met  in  Marcellus,  on  the  fourth  Wednesday  in  the 
same  month  ;  and  my  calculation  was  to  attend  both.  The  Sun- 
day  previous  to  the  meeting  in  Parma,  I  preached  in  Pittsford, 
and  on  the  Sunday  following  in  Hopewell,  and  lectured  on  my 
way  out  in  Flenrietta,  and  on  my  return  in  Rochester,  Canan- 
daigua,  and  Waterloo. 

Up  to  about  that  time  there  had  never  anything  taken  place 
to  cloud  the  sun-shine  of  our  associational  meetings,  to  cause 
dissension  in  our  council,  or  disturb  the  perfect  unanimity  of 
action  and  harmony  of  feeling  ;  we  seemed  to  have  but  one  ob- 
ject in  view  in  all  our  deliberations,  and  one  spirit  pervaded 
the  whole  ;  but  now  a  cloud  was  coming  over  us,  and  the  thun- 
ders began  to  roll.  And  what  grieved  me  the  most  was,  that  I 
had  been  the  first  cause  of  disturbing  the  elements.  I  have  pre- 
viously mentioned  the  proposition  for  organizing  a  State  Conven- 
tion— the  incipient  steps  that  were  taken — the  feelings  with 
which  it  was  met,  the  opposition  it  encountered,  and  so  forth. 
It  had  by  this  time  become  a  subject  of  serious  importance  ; 
several  Associations  had  adopted  the  plan ;  many  wha  at  first 
treated  it  with  indifference,  and  even  with  ridicule,  had  now  es- 
poused it  with  a  zeal  more  fervid  than  I  ever  felt,  and  were  pur- 
suing it  with  more  strenuous  measures  than  I  could  desire;  and 
the'  convention  had  already  been  organized  by  three  or  more 
associations,  and  had  holden  one  or  two  meetings. 

The  subject  was  brought  before  the  council  in  Parma,  and  a 
motion  made  to  unite  with  the  convention  and  appoint  delegates 


332  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

for  that  purpose.  But  as  I  was  Moderator  of  tlie  council,  I  nei- 
ther made  the  motion,  nor  advocated  it ;  but  I  was  under  the 
absolute  necessity  of  trying  to  defend  myself.  For  although 
there  were  now  many  more  zealous  advocates  for  it  than  my- 
self, still  I  was  known  as  the  first  mover  of  it  ;  arid  therefore 
the  whole  weight  of  the  oppressor's  vengeance  fell  on  me.  Mr. 
Flagler  was  a  member  of  the  council  ;  and  I  have  already  sta- 
ted that  he  took  a  violent  stand  against  it.  He  was  a  man  of 
large  stature,  strong  mind,  and  profound  *irgument — at  least  in 
one  respect,  for  he  never  yielded.  You  might  as  well  stand  and 
argue  with  the  mighty  waters  of  the  cataract  of  Niagara  to 
cease  their  roar,  as  to  attempt  to  remove  him  from  a  position  ^ 
had  taken.  And  by  his  untiring  perseverance,  his  bold,  dog- 
matical, overwhelming,  and  endless  declamation,  he  had  acquir- 
ed a  complete  ascendancy  over  many  minds' in  that  region,  and 
awed  others  into  a  servile  submission  to  his  own  measures. 
And  now  he  came  out  with  all  his  artillery  not  only  against  the 
measure,  but  against  me  as  its  author.  1  was  represented  as  an 
ambitious  aspirant,  seeking  to  establish  a  hierarchy,  to  rule  as 
lord  over  the  heritage  of  God,  impose  creeds,  confessions  of 
faith,  and  rules  of  discipline,  and  the  next  thing  would  be  a 
holy  inqjiisiiion.  One  of  his  proselytes,  a  good  lay  brother  and 
member  of  the  council,  who  probably  never  contributed  a  dol- 
lar towards  defraying  the  expenses  of  those  who  ijad  devoted 
their  v/hole  lives,  their  strength  and  talent — who  had  willingly 
sacrificed  their  temporal  comforts  and  ease,  and  family  endear- 
ments— encountered  the  buffetings  of  the  elements,  and  the 
more  soul-trying  storms  of  human  passions  and  prejudices — who 
had  suffered  cold  and  heat,  hunger  and  thirst,  and  expended 
their  last  cent  to  proclaim  far  and  wide  the  doctrine  he  profess- 
ed to  believe  as  the  truth  of  God — called  me  Pope,  and  Bishop, 
and  charged  me  with  cupidity  !  It  was  in  vain  that  I  explained 
my  views  of  the  character  and  powers  of  a  constitution.  That 
I  had  never  desired  it  to  be  clothed  with  ecclesiastical  power, 
nor  did  I  think  it  consistently  could  be,  not  even  to  decide  upon 
the  qucUification  of  candidates  for  the  ministry,  nor  grant  letters 
of  fellowship,  nor  even  expel  a  disorderly  preacher — that  these 
powers  belonged  to  the  churches  in  their  individual  capacity,  in 
the  first  place  ;  and  secondly,  in  their  associate  capacity,  as,  for 
instance,  in  this  council;  much  less  could  the  convention  im- 
pose creeds,  or  rules  of  discipline  upon  churches  and  societies — 
that  all  the  powers  which  the  convention  was  designed  to  exer- 
cise, according  to  my  plan,  were  merely  advisory.     It  might 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  333 

give  counsel  to  associations,  or  serve  as  an  arbitration  to  settle 
differences  between  associations,  or  between  churches  and  as- 
sociations, or  associations  and  preachers,  when  appealed  to  by 
an  aggrieved  party  ;  but_the  only  object  that  I  had  in  view  in 
proposing  such  a  body,  was  to  create  a  center  of  communica- 
tion for  the  whole  body  of  Universalists  in  the  State,  for  mutual 
edification,  encouragement,  improvement,  and  liberty  of  the 
Avhole — not  to  tyranize  over,  nor  in  any  shape  to. infringe  upon 
the  rights  or  principles  of  associations,  churches,  or  individu- 
als. "  Surely,  brethren,"  said  I,  "  in  my  labors  in  this  country  for 
twenty  years  past — itinerating  through  its  length  and  breadth — 
coming  and  going  at  your  call,  through  stoi^ns  and  sunshine, 
heat  and  cold,  hunger  and  thirst,  by  day  and  by  night,  serving 
you  without  fee  or  reward — surely,  I  must  have  given  you  some 
very  strong  evidences  of  personal  ambition  and  cupidity  !"  But 
all  this  was  to  no  purpose.  Feelings  had  been  awakened,  and 
— (I  would  forever  obliterate  this  part  of  the  history  of  our  order, 
could  I  do  it  with  justice  to  community) — unkind  feeling  which 
rebutted  every  appeal  to  reason  or  to  sympathy.  Ah  !  Univer- 
salists are  nothing  but  men,  after  all  ;  and  are  subject  to  like 
passions  with  other  men. 

Mr.  Flagler  had  t!.'  en  his  stand  ;  and  all  the  power  and  influ- 
ence he  possessed  v/ere  called  into  requisition  to  crush  the  con- 
vention in  its  bud.  He  rallied  all  his  forces,  and  attended  ev- 
ery association  possibly  within  his  reach  for  several  years  ;  and 
never,  to  this  day,  gave  up  his  opposition  ;  but  being  overpower- 
ed by  the  operation  of  the  convention,  and  the  diffusion  of  light 
to  other  minds  on  the  subject,  he  at  length  was  compelled  to 
"  sit  and  grieve  alone." 

Something  of  the  feelings  of  Mr.  Flagler  may  be  discovered 
from  tho  treatment  I  received  from  him  three  years  afterwards. 
lie  kept  some  two  or  three  of  the  western  associations  from 
uniting  with  the  others  in  convention  for  several  years ;  and 
consequently  we  kept  up,  as  far  as  possible,  a  communication 
with  them  by  our  old  means,  of  visiting  committees.  In  1828, 
I  received  an  appointment  from  the  Central  Association,  (such 
was  the  name  given,  after  a  number  of  other  associations  had 
sprung  up  around  it,  to  the  old  Western  Association,)  to  visit  the 
Ontario  Association,  which  was  to  hold  its  session  in  the  town  of 
Victor.  On  my  arrival,  I  stopped  at  the  house  to  which  I  was 
directed  by  our  friends,  and  while  standing  on  a  platform  in 
front  of  tlie  door,  Mr.  Flagler  drove  up.  As  his  carriage  stop- 
ped, I  stepped  tojiim  and  offered  him  my  hand,  and  kiquired  af- 


SSi'    "',„,..-  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

ter  his  liealth  and  that  of  his  family  ;  but  all  I  received  in  re- 
turn was  merely  a  cold  touch  of  the  hand,  with  the  icy,  laconic 
answer,  "  They  are  well,"  without  a  return  of  the  compliment, 
or  even  another  word  ;  he  then  descended  from  his  carriage, 
and,  without  any  further  notice  of  me,  passed  by  me  into  the 
house.     I  had  known  Mr.  F.  from  his  first  conversion  to  the 
faith,  had  encouraged  his  entrance  upon  tlie  ministry,  had  re- 
commended hitn  to  our  societies  and  brethren,  and  indulged  all 
the  warm  and  friendly  sentiments  of  a  brother  toward  him  ;  and 
this  treatment  from  him,  on  an  occasion  like  this,  when  we  had 
not  met  for  some  two  years  or  more,  and  where  we  were  in  the 
habit  of  greeting  each  other  with  undissembled  cordiality,  wound- 
ed my  feelings  prodigiously,  and  overwhelmed  my  soul  with  a 
gloom  wdiich  I  could  not  shake  off  during  the  whole  tour ;  and 
he  persevered  in  this  coldness  and  neglect  during  the  whole  ses- 
sion.    At  a  suitable  time,  he,  as  a  leading  member,  called  on  the 
preachers  and  delegates  to  repair  to  the  council-room  in  another 
part  of  the  building — all  done  in  my  presence,  but  without  ask- 
ing me  to  accompany  them,  or  intimating  that  my  presence 
would  be  acceptable.     The  meeting  was  called  to  order,  and  1 
was  told,  (for  I  was  not  present,)  that  some  brother  nominated 
me  for  moderator,"  which  Mr.  F.  objected  to,  had  the  motion  re- 
called, and  got  appointed  himself.     However,  after  the  council 
had  organized,  and,  as  I  was  informed,  entered  on  business,  I 
ventured  into  the  room,  and  at  a  suitable  time  arose  and  asked 
the  privilege  of  addressing  a  few  words,  which  was  coldly  grant- 
ed.    I  stated  to  them,  in  substance,  that  by  appointment  of  the 
Central  Association  1  made   them  this  visit,  to  present  the  con- 
gratulations of  that  body  ;  and  to  inform  them  that  the  cause  of 
Zion  was  prosperous  in  that  region,  and  the  manifestations  of 
Divine  approbation  were  apparent  in  the  addition  of  churches, 
societies,  and  laborers,  in  the  course  of  the  past  year ;  and  that 
the  Association  to  which  I  belonged  desired  a  reciprocation  of 
the  like  favor,  &c.     And  all  the  reply  that  I  received  to  my  ad- 
dress,and  all  the  notice  that  was  taken  of  it,  was  merely  a  groan 
from  the  moderator.     And  so  perfectly  under  the  control  of  that 
individual  were  the  whole  council,  that  there  ^vas  not  a  mo- 
tion made  to  invite  me  to  a  seat  in  the  council,  which  was  a  civ- 
ility uniformly  extended  to  all  visiting  brethren,  and  considered 
indispensible  in  case  of  a  visiting  committee ;  and  1  was  never 
invited  to  participate  in  any  of  their  deliberations.     The  com- 
mittee of  arrangements,  however,  applied  to  me  to  deliver  a  dis- 
course, and  urged  their  suit  with  so  much  earn|stness,  that  I  re- 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL  STACY.  385 

\ 

luctantly  consented  ;  but  I  surely  felt  little  like  preaching,  and 
I  presume  nny  discourse  was  as  cold  and  lifeless  as  was  their 
conduct  toward  me.  That  Mr.  F.,  on  subsequent  reflection,  felt 
some  compunctions  of  conscience,  I  had  pretty  good  evidence, 
from  some  remarks  he  made  to  Mr.  Ackley,  as  well  as  from  the 
course  he  pursued  at  the  Cayuga  Association,  which  met  the 
week  following,  at  Sempronius,  My  mission  extended  to  these 
two  Associations  ;  and  notwithstanding  the  cold  reception  I  had 
met  with  at  the  Ontario,  I  could  not  conscientiously  forego  my 
obligation  to  fulfil  my  whole  mission.  I  therefore  repaired  to 
the  next  Association,  expecting  I  should  probably  meet  with  sim- 
ilar treatment ;  for  Mr.  F.'s  influence  was  nearly  as  great  in 
that  as  in  the  Ontario ;  and  I  expected  he  would  be  there.  But 
his  manner  was  completely  changed.  He  sought  the  earliest  op- 
portunity to  speak  to  me*,  and  even  tried  to  be  sociable.  He  was 
again  appointed  moderator,  and  the  first  act  of  the  council,  by 
his  suggestion,  was  to  pass  a  resolution  inviting  me  to  a  seat  in 
the  council,  and  sending  out  a  committee  to  inform  me,  and  re- 
questing me  to  come  in.  But  he  was  too  stubborn  ever  to  make 
an  apology  to  me. 

But  again  1  have  rambled  with  you,  kind  reader;  you  must 
now  accompany  me  back.  We  started  to  attend  two  Associa- 
tiwis  ;  but  the  portentous  cloud  which  broke  upon  us  at  the  first, 
and  the  hurricane  which  followed,  have  blown  us  away  amid 
troubled  waters,  to  two  other  Associations,  at  a  much  later  peri- 
od, and  nearly  bewildered  us.  You  must  now  allow  me  to  con- 
duct you  back  to  the  Cayuga  Association,  in  1825,  where  a 
happier  season  awaits  us,  a  richer  feast  is  being  prepared,  and 
where  we  shall  in  some  measure  forget  th5  bitterness  of  that 
unsavory  cup  we  have  been  compelled  to  drink. 

At  this  meeting,  among  many  other  excdlent  brethren,  I  found 
my  highly-esteemed  friend  and  brother  C.  G.  Person,  whose 
soul  alway*  mingled  with  mine,  and  whose  spirit  ever  drank  at 
the  same  fountain.  It  was  a  happy  meeting;  and  perhaps  ap- 
peared doubly  so  to  me,  who  had  borne  a  heavy  load  at  heart 
for  several  days  past.  No  dissensions  arose  in  the  deliberations 
of  the  council.  "The  hand  that  soweth  discord  among  breth- 
ren" was  not  there.  The  evidences  of  the  enlargement  of  our 
borders,  and  the  prosperity  of  the  cause  afforded  subject  of  con- 
gratulation, and  encouragement,  and  hope.  At  this  Association, 
our  young,  gifted,  and  highly-esteemed,  but  now  deeply. la- 
mented brother  and  fellow-laborer,  Wm..  J.  Reese,  whose  short, 
active  life  was  so  faithfully  employed  in  the  service  of  his  Di- 


336   .  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

vijie  Master,  even  to  the  very  last  moment,  received  ordination  ; 
and  I  enjoyed  the  pleasure  of  delivering  his  ordination  sermon, 
from  St.  Jolm,  15:   16. 

On  the  day  following  the  Association,  in  company  with  Mr. 
P(!rson,  I  attended  a  meeting  in  Onondafja,  and  the  Sunday  fol- 
lowing preached  in  Manlius  ;  and  on  Monday  returned  home 
once  more  in  peace  to  my  family.  My  oldest  daughter  accom- 
panied me  on  this  excursion,  as  well  as  on  the  other  alluded  to, 
in  1828,  which,  in  some  degree,  assisted  to  dispel  the  gloom  and 
despondency  to  which  I  was  exposed. 

1  remained  pretty  steadily  at  home  during  the  remainder  of 
the  fall,  the  ensuing  winter,  and  spring,  fulfilling  my  engage- 
ments witli  the  societies  in  the  immediate  vicinity,  and  made  no 
excursions  to  any  great  distance  ;  and  gave  my  attention  more 
immediately  to  the  concerns  of  my  family,  to  try,  if  possible,  to 
relieve  my  wife  of  the  cares,  labors,  and  anxieties  which  too 
heavily  pressed  upon  her  ;  for  in  my  zeal  for  the  cause, 
I  was  too  much  in  the  habit  of  neglecting  those  duties,  and 
throwing  vastly  too  heavy  a  burden  on  her. 

Mr.  S.  R.  Smith  and  Mr.  P.  Morse  had,  a  year  or  more  be- 
fore this,  settled  as  pastors  of  the  churches  in  Philadelphia  ;  Mr. 
Smith  with  the  Callowhill,  and  Mr.  Morse  with  the  Lomba:^ 
St.  Church.  And  one  day,  about  the  middle  of  June,  1826,  a 
little  past  the  middle  of  the  day,  I  was  much  surprised  to  see 
Mr.  Smith  enter  my  house,  not  having  heard  a  word  from  him 
for  months,  and  supposing  him  to  be  in  Philadelphia.  He  ever 
had  a  feeble  appearance  ;  but  now  he  looked  unusually  sallow, 
emaciated,  and  feeble,  and  manifested,  on  his  first  entrance,  an 
uncommon  degree  of  solicitude.  He  had  come  on  an  express, 
which  he  said  was  imperious.  His  health  had  failed  him  to  that 
degree,  that  his  usefulness,  if  not  his  life,  depended  on  his  re- 
linquishing his  city  labors  for  a  season,  of  retiring  for  a  sea- 
son and  taking  m.ore  exercise  in  the  unpoilufed  air  of  the  coun- 
try than  he  could  possibly  enjoy  in  the  city ;  and  he  had  left 
Philadelphia  with  the  express  stipulation,  that  if  I  was  alive  and 
\tell,  I  should  go  and  supply  his  place  for  a  few  Sabbaths ;  or 
in  case  of  failure,  he  was  to  return  immediately.  I  was,  in- 
deed, taken  by  surprise  ;  but  he  pleaded  so  earnesth^,  and  his 
pale  and  haggard  countenance  appealed  so  eloquently  to  the 
sympathies  of  my  soul,  that  I  could  not  deny  his  suit ;  and  there- 
fore  determined  to  break  off  thus  abruptly  from  my  own  socie- 
ties, and  try  to  satisfy  them  the  best  way  I  could,  after  my  re- 
turn, and  to  go  to  Philadelpliia.     Hasty  preparations  were  made, 


LIFE  OF  REV.  NATHANIEL  STACY.  337 

arifl  I  repaired  to  Utica,  where  I  took  passage  in  a  stage  coach 
for  Albany,  on  as  dark  and  rainy  a  night  as  is  ever  seen  in  that 
-season  of  the  year ;  from  Albany  to  New  York  I  got  passage 
in  a  steam-boat,  and  from  New  York  to  New  Brunswick,  in  N. 
J. ;  from  thence  by  land  in  stage-coach  to  Trenton,  and  thence 
by  steam-boat  to  Philadelphia,  where  I  ariuved  on  the  next  Sat- 
urday  after  Mr.  S.  came  to  my  house.  Before  leaving  the 
steam-boat,  I  descried,  among  the  crowd  collected  upon  the 
wharf,  Mr.  Morse,  peering  through  the  multitude  to  examine, 
the  passengers  ;  although  his  eye  caught  mine,  and  a  smile  of 
recognition  relieved  his  visible  anxiety;  he  conducted  me  to 
his  dwelling,  and  I  boarded  with  him  during  my  stay.  I  re- 
mained in  Philadelphia  six  Sabbaths  ;  during  the  time,  made 
several  exchanges  with  Mr.  Morse,  but  preached  none  on  week 
days.  The  doctrine  seemed  wholly  confined  to  the  city;  few 
or  none  attended  meetings  from  the  surrounding  country,  noif 
€otild  I  learn  that  any  one  beyond  the  suburbs  of  the  city  pro- 
fessed the  least  knowledge  of  Universalism.  But  I  found  here 
an  intelligent  and  good  people,  plain  and  unostentatious  in  their 
manners,  just  and  upright  in  their  deal,  temperate  in  their  hab- 
its, and  social,  kind,  and  benevolent  in  their  intercourse.  The 
meetings  were  well  attended,  and  the  members  of  both  churches 
manifested  a  strong  attachment  to  their  pastors.  The  members 
of  the  Cailowhill  church  expressed  great  solicitude  about  Mr. 
Smith,  most  ardently  desired  the  recovery  of  his  health,  and  his 
return  to  his  pastoral  charge.  I  enjoyed  good  health  during , 
my  residence,  but  in  order  to  secure  it,  I  was  obliged  to  be  a 
little  eccentric  in  my  habits.  Half  of  their  preaching,  even  at 
t-lmt  season  of  the  year,  (July,)  was  done  in  the  night.  One 
discourse  at  10  in  the  morning,  and  another  at  candle  lighting, 
was  the  invariable  custom  in  most  churches  of  the  city,  I  be- 
lieve, and  certainly  so  in  both  Universalist  churches ;  and 
all  their  social  parties  were  holden  after  candle-lighting.  They, 
therefore,  scarcely  ever  retired  to  bed  until  after  12  o'cldck, 
nor  rose  in  the  morning  until  8  or  9.  A  conformity  to  this  prac  ■ 
tice  would  never  answer  my  purpose.  I  was  always  an  early 
riser;  and  after  the  light  of  day  had  penetrated  my  chanv- 
ber,  there  was  no  more  "  sleep  to  my  eyes,  nor  slumber  to  my 
eye-lids,"  let  the  .time  of  my  retiring  be  what  it  might.  I 
therefore  adopted  the  snme  practice  in  the  city  as  at  home, 
of  rising  before  the  sun,  and  takiijg  a  walk  out  into  the  country, 
to  breathe  the  salubrious  and  refreshing  air  of  the  morning;. 
And  while  I  crept  stealthily  away  from  the  snoring  multitudej. 

V 


336  MEMOIRS  OF    THE 

and  inhaled  the  invigorating  breeze  of  the  morning,  these  lines 
of  the  immortal  Thompson  would  always  occur  to  my  mind  :— 

"  Falsely  luxurious !  will  not  man  awake, 
And,  springing  from  the  bed  of  sloth,  enjoy 
The  cool,  the  fragrant,  and  the  morning  breeze, 
•  To  silent  meditation  due,  and  sacred  soug  V 

Having  taken  my  morning  excursion,  generally  of  a  mile  or 
more  out  of  the  city,  I  could  return  with  a  good  appetite  for 
breakfast,  spend  the  forenoon  in  my  study,  take  a  season  of  re- 
pose after  dinner,  and  be  ready  for  a  social  interview  in  the  even- 
ing ;  and  although  the  weather  was  unusually  warm,  for  me, 
I  nevertheless  found,  in  this  course,  the  means  of  preserving  my 
health,  and  keeping  up  my  spirits. 

While  in  the  city,  I  had  the  privilege,  for  the  first  and  only 
time  in  my  life,  of  going  to  a  Jewish  Synagogue,  and  witness- 
ino-  the  forms  of  Hebrew  worship.  There  was  little  in  it  inter- 
esting to  me ;  not  being  a  Hebrew  scholar,  I  could  not  under- 
stand much  they  said  "  out  of  the  lav/,"  nor  "  say  amen,"  a& 
they  spake  "in  an  unknown  tongue:"  I  could  only  see  their 
formulas,  in  which  I  discovered,  very  little  solemnity. 

A  still  more  interesting  occasion  to  me  occurred,  which  I  en- 
joyed the  pleasure  of  witnessing.  On  the  4th  of  July,  the  old 
Congress  Hall  of  '76  was  thrown  open,  and  I  had  the  privilege 
of  hearing  an  address  delivered  from  the  very  stand  where  the 
venerable  President,  John  Hancock,  sat  when  the  Declaration 
of  Independence  was  adopted;  where  a  full-size  statue  of 
Jefferson,  in  marble,  with  the  roll  of  independence  in  his  right 
hand,  stood  directly  behind  the  speaker.  The  discourse  was 
not  great ;  but  the  association  of  ideas  and  feelings  produced 
by  the  scene  was  thrilling  and  captivating.  On  this  day,  too, 
one  of  the  most  remarkable,  solemn,  and  interesting  events  oc- 
curred, that  belongs  to  the  history  of  the  United  States.  Two 
of  the  Ex-Presidents,  John  Adatns  and  Thomas  Jefferson,  both 
of  whom  were  active  members  of  that  Congress,  and  members 
of  the  committee  who  prepared  and  brought  in  that  everlasting 
document  which  sealed  the  independence  and  glory  of  the  Uni- 
ted States  of  America,  on  the  4th  of  July,  1776,  departed  this 
life,  probably  within  one  hour  of  each  other.  It  might  be  said 
of  them,  as  in  the  lameniation  of  David  over  Saul  and  Jonathan, 
"They  were  lovely  and  pleasant  in  their  lives,  and  in  their 
death  they  were  not  divided."  And  before  I  left  Philadelphia 
I  heard  (or  rather  saw,  for  few  could  hear)  an  address  deliver- 
ed on  the  occasion.     A  staging  was  erected,  in  front  of  the  sec- 


Llf'E   OP   REV.   NATHANIEL   STACY.  339 

<on(i  slory  of  the  Old  State  House,  for  the  speaker  ;  and  the 
whole  garden,  or  green,  thirty  rods  square,  in  front  of  the  build- 
ing, was  densely  crowded  with  people  ;  the  staging  was  hung 
with  mourning,  and  the  whole  scene  Was  one  of  great  solemni- 
ly.  The  venerable  Bishop  White,  who,  1  believe,  was  chap- 
lain to  the  Congress  of  ^76,  and  also  a  chaplain  in  the  revolu- 
tionary service,  made  his  appearance  on  the  stage,  his  thin, 
snow-white  locks  gently  waving  in  the  breeze,  and  read  prayers 
on  the  occasion. 

At  length  Mr.  Smith  returned  with  his  family,  (for  when  he 
left  Philadelphia,  he  felt  so  sure  of  securing  my  labors,  that  he 
took  his  family,  with  him,)  with  improved  health,  to  the  great 
joy  of  his  parishioners.  1  had  been  treated  with  great  coi  Jial- 
ity  and  respect  during  my  sojourn  with  this  kind  people  ;  and,  re- 
ceiving an  ample  reward  for  my  labors,  at  their  liberal  hands, 
I  took  an  affectionate  leave  of  the  city  of  brotherly  love,  and, 
with  a  beating  heart,  set  my  face  once  more  toward  my  family. 
I  returned  in  the  same  manner  and  by  nearly  the  same  route 
that  I  went,  but  a  little  more  leisurely.  I  spent  a  short  time  in 
the  city  of  New  York,  and  made  Mr.  Kneeland  the  first,  and 
the  last,  and  the  only  visit  I  ever  made  him  in  his  family  ;  and 
it  was  at  this  time  that  he  accompanied  me  forty  miles  up  the 
river  with  his  little  necromancer,  in  search  of  Captain  Kidd's 
gold  ! 

I  also  called  at  the  city  of  Hudson,  where  our  much-lament^ 
ed  brother,  T.  F.  King,  was  settled  as  pastor  of  the  church.  At 
his  earnest  request,  I  remained  with  him  over  the  Sabbath, 
preached  for  him  as  well  as  I  could,  and  administered  the  ele- 
ments of  the  Eucharist  to  the  church.  I  found  the  cause  pros- 
perous under  his  well-directed  labors,  and  the  church  enjoying 
spiritual  life.  We  truly  enjoyed  a  happy  season.  From  thence 
I  traveled  by  steam--boat  to  Albany,  stage  to  Schenectady,  canal- 
boat  to  Utica,  stage  to  Madison,  and  reached  the  bosom  of  my 
too-much-neglected  family  on  the  11th  or  r2th  day  of   August. 

I  arrived  home  from  Philadelphia  in  season  to  attend  the  Che- 
nango Association  which  met  this  year,  on  the  4th  Wednesday 
in  August,  in  the  town  of  German,  but  made  no  mo  re.  extensive 
excursions  until  the  fall  of  1827. 

During  the  year  1826,  the  inhabitants  of  Nelson  Flats,  town 
of  Nelson,  Madison  County,  without  distinction  of  sect,  united 
and  built  a  meeting-house,  and  finished  it  off  in  good  style, 
which  they  mutually  agreed  should  be  free  for  all  denomina- 
tions, without  any  other  restriction  than,  that  no  denomination 


340  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

sliould  make  appointments  in  it  to  interfere  with  the  regular  ap- 
pointments of  another.  They  got  their  house  completed  and 
ready  for  occupancy  early  in  the  spring  of  1827,  and  in  April 
of  that  year  applied  to  me  to  hold  a  meeting  in  it.  I  complied 
with  the  request,  and  entered  into  an  engagement  to  preach 
with  them  once  a  month  for  a  year.  This  was  the  first  engage- 
ment for  regular  preaching  in  the  house. 

A  spirit  of  universal  liberality  seemed  to  prevail ;  and  the  in- 
habitants, without  distinction   of  sectarian  opinion,  generally 
turned  out  to  meeting  and  filled  the  house  ;  and  a  spirit  af  in- 
quiry was  soon  awakened.     Among  those  who  seemed  to  take? 
deep  interest,  was  a  young  man  by  the  name  of  E.  M.  Wooley, 
a  resident  of  the  village,  a  young  man  of  superior  talents,  but 
a  zealous  opposer  of  the  doctrine  ;  and,  as  I  desired,  he  was  very 
eager  to  oppose  it,  and  seize  every  opportunity  to  battle  with  me. 
He  was  very  constant    at    meeting,  affable  and  polite  in  hia 
manner,  and  notwithstanding  our  difference  of  opinion,  we  soon 
contracted  a  strong  friendship.     One  day,  when  he  was  battling 
me  with  all  his  might,  I  said  to  him,  "  Brother  Wooley,  you  may 
now  fight  this  doctrine  hard  as  you  please ;  but  I  now  tell  you, 
and  I  wish  you  to  remember  it,  that  strong  as  your  prejudices 
now  are  against  it,  you  have  got  yet  to  believe  it,  and  to  preach 
it  to  the  world  !"     And  I  now  feel  quite  willing  to  let  the  world 
decide  upon  the  evidences  of  my  being  a  true  prophet ;  for  be- 
fore the  year  of  my  engagement  closed,  he  became  a  happy  be- 
liever in  the  truth  of  the  doctrine^  and  within  about  three  years, 
comjnenced  its  promulgation,  to  which  he  has  zealously,  faith- 
fully, and  successfully  devoted  his  time  and  talents  up  to  the 
present  time  ;  and  he  stands  now  among  the  most  able  advocates 
of  the  blessed  truth. 

More  than  seven  years  had  elapsed  since  we  had  visited  any 
of  our  relatives  in  New  England ;  during  which  time  several 
had  been  called  from  these  mortal  shores,  and  nearly  all  of 
them  scattered  from  the  land  of  our  birth  ;  not  a  single  member 
of  my  father-in-law's  family  remained  in  New  Salem,  nor  a  rel- 
ative of  his  except  sister's  children ;  and  I  had  only  a  brother 
and  a  half-sister,  with  some  remnants  of  tlieir  fam.ilies,  that  re- 
mained in  our  native  town.  My  father  died  in  Feb.,  1824  ;  and 
soon  after  his  decease  my  mother  took  up  her  residence  with 
laiy  youngest  sister,  in  Vermont,  where  I  had  another  sister,  and 
where  my  wife  also  had  two  ;  Vermont,  therefore,  instead  of 
the  land  that  gave  us  birth,  had  now  become  the  object  of  our 
solicitude.     But  although  my  mother  had  become  far  advanced 


LIFE    OF     REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  341 

in  years,  and  filial  as  well  as  fraternal  afTeetion  drew  me  strong- 
ly tothat  point,  I  had  an  additional  inducement  for  the  visit  this 
fall.  The  General  Convention  was  to  hold  its  meeting  in  Sep- 
tember, at  Saratoga  Springs,  which  I  should  necessarily  pass  on 
my  journey.  I  had,  for  many  years  past,  seldom  enjoyed  the 
privilege  of  meeting  with  that  body  ;  and  I  could  also  so  arrange 
my  travels,  without  interfering  with  our  visits,  as  to  attend  the 
Northern  Association,  which  met  at  Calais,  Vt.,  on  the  first  of  Oc- 
tober. Accordingly,  about  the  middle  of  September,  1827,  in 
company  with  a  widowed  sister  and  a  niece,  we  left  home,  and 
made  our  first  visit  to  a  brother  of  my  wife,  in  Charleton,  Sara- 
toga County,  where  I  left  my  company,  and  proceeded  to  the 
Convention. 

My  feelings  were  highly  exhilarated  in  meeting  many  of  my 
old  co-laborers  in  the  proclamation  of  the  "  Common  Salva- 
tion,^' and  beJiolding  the  members  who  had  engaged  in  the  holy 
cause  since  I  last  enjoyed  the  happiness  of  attending  a  session 
of  the  convention  ;  and  more  especially  of  once  more  meeting 
my  spiritual  father,  HoseaBallou,  and  hearing  "  words  of  truth" 
from  his  experienced  lips.  Three  young  men  were,  at  this  ses- 
sion, set  apart  to  the  work  of  the  ministry  by  solemn  ordination, 
in  the  solemnities  of  which  a  part  was  assigned  to  me.  This 
was  the  last  time  that  I  have  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  attending 
a  meeting  of  the  convention,  and  this  was  the  last  time — and  I 
fear  it  will  be  the  last  time — that  I  have  ever  seen  the  man  un- 
der whose  ministry  I  have  enjoyed  some  of  the  happiest  hours 
of  my  life,  and  whom  1  have  styled,  with  the  utmost  propriety, 
my  spiritual  father.  At  the  request  of  a  few  friends  from  Fort 
Ann,  who  attended  this  meeting,  I  sent  an  appointment  to  that 
place  for  the  next  Sabbath.  The  npxt  day  I  rejoined  my  com- 
pany, and  Y/e  proceeded  on  our  journey  to  Fort  Ann,  where  I 
found  a  numerous  congregation  on  Sunday,  who  listened  with 
great  attention  to  the  message  I  had  to  deliver  to  them.  After 
remaining  a  single  day  in  the  town  of  Fort  Ann,  to  visit  my  rel- 
atives who  still  resided  in  that  place,  we  pursued  our  journey 
through  Whitehall  to  Rutland,  Vt.,  from  thence  crossing  the 
Green  Mountains,  through  Sherburne  to  Bridgewater,  where  my 
mother  resided.  It  was  cause  of  inexpressible  happiness  to  find 
my  venerable  parent,  now  advanced  to  four  score  years,  in  the 
full  enjoyment  of  all  her  physical  and  intellectual  faculties,  as 
bright  and  as  vigorous,  almost,  as  in  the  days  of  my  youth  ;  and 
my  sisters  and  their  families  in  good  health,  and  surrounded 
with  all  the  necessary  comforts  of  life.     It  was  necessary,  how- 


342  MEMOIRS   OF   THE 

ever,  to  mai^e  but  a  short  stay  here,  as  the  time  for  the  meeting- 
of  the  Association  was  approaching  ;  and  reserving  the  major 
part  of  our  visit  for  our  return,  I  left  my  sister  and  niece,  and 
with  my  wife  pursued  our  journey  toBarre,  Washington  Coun- 
ty, where  she  had  a  sister  residing,  and  near  the  place  of  the 
meeting  of  the  Association. 

These  sisters  had  lived  remote  from  each  other  from  early 
life,  had  not  met  for  more  than  thirty  years,  and  had  seldom 
heard  from  each  other  ;  all  the  correspondence  they  had  ever 
held  was  a  single  letter  which  I  addressed  them  soon  after  our 
marriage,  by  the  hand  of  Mr.  Farwell,  who  resided  a  neighbor 
to  them,  but  to  which  we  never  received  a  reply.  It  was  night 
before  we  arrived  there ;  but  the  weather  was  mild,  and  the 
moon's  full  orb,  with  her  silver,  mellow,  solemn  beams,  brilliant- 
ly lighted  our  path -way,  casting  a  sombre  hue  upon  the  rich, 
variegated  face  of  the  vegetable  world.  But  we  knew  nothing 
of  the  temporal  circumstances  of  those  we  sought,  whether  we 
should  find  a  shelter  for  our  jaded  beast — for  we  had  driven  fif- 
ty miles  over  the  mountainous  roads  of  that  country — or  accom- 
modation for  ourselves.  We  made  inquiry,  and  found  we  were 
approaching  their  habitation,  and  were  conversing  on  the  total 
uncertainty  of  the  manner  of  our  reception,  the  fare  that  we 
should  meet  with,  and  the  pleasure  of  our  visit ;  but  concluded 
that  if  we  were  so  fortunate  as  to  find  them  alive  and  in  health, 
we  should  not  regret  the  weariness  of  our  journey — when,  emerg- 
ing from  a  small  strip  of  wood-land,  our  road  opened  upon  a 
broad,  extensive  improvement,  exhibiting  a  large  farm  in  a  high 
state  of  cultivation,  with  good  fences  and  handsomely-arranged 
lots,  which  bore  indubitable  testimony  that  the  hand  of  industry 
and  agricultural  skfll  was  there;  while  in  the  distance  we  could 
discover  two  large  barns  in  close  proximity,  and  a  very  good 
frame  dwelling-house,  that  appeared  to  belong  to  the  premises. 
"  Well,"  said  we,  "  if  these  are  Mr.  Lawson's  premises — if 
this  farm  and  these  buildings  belong  to  him,  we  need  not  fear  for 
accommodation  from  lack  of  means ;  but  how  shall  we  make 
ourselves  known  ?"  W^e  drove  up  in  front  of  the  house,  where 
we  saw  a  man  in  the  entry- way,  (the  door  being  open,)  churn- 
ing by  the  light  of  the  moon,  in  a  churn  half  as  large  as  a  com- 
mon cider-barrel ;  reining  my  horse  near  the  door,  I  hailed  him 
with,  "  Good  evening,  sir ;  can  you  entertain  strangers  for  a 
night  ?"  An  answer  in  the  affirmative  was  unhesitatingly  giv- 
en ;  and  we  were  requested  to  alight  and  walk  in,  while  prepa- 
rations  were  made  to  take  care  of  our  horse  and  carrias^e.     We 


LIFE   OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  343 

walked  into  the  house,  and  took  off  our  over-garments  ;  but  no 
symptoms  of  recognition  were  discernible.  Nor  was  it  surpri- 
sing ;  they  had  never  known  me ;  and  the  sisters,  who  were 
young  when  they  last  met,  had  now  become  old  women.  After 
having  a  little  conversation,  however,  by  way  of  prelude,  we 
made  ourselves  known ;  and,  that  we  were  received  with  grate- 
ful feelings  and  joyful  hearts,  the  tears,  which  coursed  in  show- 
ers down  their  cheeks,  gave  ample  witness.  And  to  add  to  our 
gratification  and  pleasure,  v/e  found  them  in  affluent  circum- 
stances. Their  full  barns  and  granaries  afforded  rich  living 
for  our  horse,  and  tlieir  chambers,  and  larder,  and  cellar,  all 
the  necessaries  and  even  luxuries  of  life,  for  us.  Oh  !  how 
blessed  it  is,  while  traveling  the  rugged,  and  often  dark  and 
cloudy  paths  of  life,  to  find,  here  and  there,  some  sunny  and 
pleasant  spot ! 

One  day  only  was  allowed  us  to  remain  with  our  friends,  at 
this  time,  before  the  association,  about  fifteen  miles  distant.  We 
repaired  thither,  and  enjoyed  a  happy  and  profitable  meeting. 
Very  few  whom  I  had  before  seen  were  there  ;  but  I  had  seen 
their  names  enrolled  as  soldiers  under  the  "  Captain  of  our  Sal- 
vation;" and  althf)ugh  strangers  in  the  flesh,  we  were  intimate 
associates  in  the  spirit.  We  had  learned  the  tongue,  and  could 
familiarly  converse  in  the  language  of  Zion — we  had  drunk  at 
the  same  fountain,  and  could  bathe  together  in  the  same  impass- 
able "  River  of  Life."  Surely,  sucli  convocations  as  these 
are  prelibations  of  future  joys !  I  found  many  here  whom  I 
never  before  met  in  the  flesh,  and  whom  I  shall  never  meet 
again  until  I  meet  them  in  heaven.  There  were  preachers  and 
delegates  here  from  almost  every  part  of  the  State,  and  some 
from  the  Queen's  dominion  ;  but  none  with  whom  I  had  associ- 
ated in  this  region,  in  the  infancy  of  my  ministry  ;  they  had  all 
wandered  to  other  parts  of  the  world,  or  gone  to  a  better. 

I  here  formed  an  acquaintance  with  a  preacher  from  Ohio,  by 
the  name  of  Williams,  who,  with  his  lady,  was  making  or 
rather  had  made  the  tour  of  New  England.  He  was  about  re- 
turning to  Ohio,  and  at  my  request,  promised  to  make  me  a  call 
on  his  way.  This  he  did  ;  and  remained  with  me  several  days  ; 
and  preached  one  Sabbath,  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  our  peo- 
ple. It  was  late  in  the  fall,  the  traveling  had  become  very  bad, 
and  his  wife  in  a  very  poor  state  of  health ;  and  feeling  much 
solicitude  about  them,  we  extracted  a  promise  from  him  to  write 
as  sQon  as  he  reached  his  habitation.  No  letter  came  from  him^ 
liowever,  and  I  began  to  entertain  fears  that  they  had  got  cast 


344  MEMOIRS   OF    THE 

away  upon  the  Lake.  But  my  anxiety  in  this  respect  was  re- 
lieved, a  few  months  afterwards,  by  learning  that  he,  and  seve- 
ral others,  had  been  shipwrecked  by  the  tempest  of  a  more 
boisterous  sea,  and  cas*  upon  a  desolate  and  barren  desert !  Mr. 
Williams,  and  several  other  preachers,  (all  then  in  the  region  of 
the  Western  Reserve,  Ohio,)  except  a  single  individual,  I  be- 
lieve, all  at  one  and  the  same  time,  while  assembled  at  a  gene- 
ral meeting,  as  though  by  previous  concert,  which  probably  was 
the  case,  took  one  bold  retrograde  step  back  into  the  ranks  of 
the  "  disciples"  of  Alexander  Campbell.  1  will  here  state,  that 
the  individual  excepted  is  our  venerable  brother  Beals,  ^vho 
alone  breasted  the  shock,  and  maintained  his  standing  upon  the 
Rock  of  Ages,  where  he  still  abides  in  safety ;  and  through 
all  the  raging  and  strife  of  the  elements  around  him,  has  never- 
ceased  to  blow  the  trumpet  of  the  Gospel,  to  give  notice  to  the 
benighted  mariner  of  the  haven  of  safety  and  peace. 

From  the  association  in  Calais,  we  returned  to  our  friends  in 
Barre.  I  delivered  one  lecture  in  Montpelier  ;  and  on  the  Sun- 
day after  the  association,  preached  in  the  elegant  brick  Univer- 
salist  meeting-house  in  Barre.  The  congregation  was  numer- 
ous, filling  the  house  to  overflowing,  and  the  season  was  render- 
ed captivating  to  me  by  the  attention  of  the  audience,  but  more 
especially  by  the  superior  performance  of  the  choir,  led  by  that 
king  and  queen  of  singers,  Mr.  Waters  and  his  lady,  who  had 
given  spirit  and  life  to  the  association  in  Calais.  The  Tuesday 
following,  we  took  leave  of  our  friends  in  Barre,  and  returned 
to  Bridgewater,  where  we  spent  another  week-  Here  1  deliv- 
ered a  lecture  in  one  part  of  the  town,  and  preached  one  Sun- 
day in  another ;  and  found  the  cause  in  this,  as  also  in  other 
parts  of  the  State  that  I  had  visited,  in  a  steady,  onward  course. 
On  the  Monday  following,  we  bade  farewell  to  our  mother,  sis- 
ters and  their  families ;  and,  without  meeting  with  any  occur- 
rence  worthy  of  particular  notice,  returned  once  more  to  our 
home  in  the  State  of  New  York. 

The  first  societies  that  were  organized  m  the  country  arose 
up  promiscuously  over  a  great  extent  of  territory,  frequently, 
and,  indeed,  very  generally,  quite  remote  from  each  other.  But 
as  years  rolled  on,  and  preachers  multiplied,  those  intermediate 
sections  began  to  be  visited,  new  places  for  oieetings  were  open- 
ed, new  interests  awakened,  and  new  congregations  established  ; 
which  brought  our  societies  into  nearer  proximity  to  each  other^ 
and  increased  the  density  of  our  fraternal  connection. 

I  had  holcien  meetings  repeatedly  m  the  town  of  Nelson,  m 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  345 

?;everal  different  neighborhoods,  as  well  as  in  the  adjacent  towns, 
before  the  erection  of  the  meeting-house  at  the  Flats,  but  had 
never  preached  in  this  village  ;  but  now  the  largest  and  most 
respectable  congregation,  and  the  most  flourishing  society  exist- 
ed here,  of  any  in  all  that  region  of  country.  And  late  in  the 
fall  of  this  year,  another  door  was  opened  in  the  midst  of  sur- 
rounding societies.  In  a  very  early  day  of  my  settling  in  the 
State,  I  had  had  occasian  to  deliver  some  lectures,  and  attend 
one  or  two  funerals  on  the  Sanquoit  creek,  in  the  east  part  of 
the  town  of  Paris ;  but  no  great  interest  was  manifested  in  the 
doctrine  of  Universalism,  until  then.  I  had  now  a  very  urgent 
request  to  make  an  appointment  there,  which  I  complied  with ; 
and  so  much  interest  was  manifested' — so  numerous  and  increas- 
ing  were  the  congregations,  that  after  a  few  meetings  I  engaged 
to  preacli  with  them  one  half  of  the  Sabbaths  for  the  ensuing 
year,  which  arrangement  was  renewed  at  the  close  of  the  year, 
and  so  continued  until  I  left  the  State  of  New  York. 

In  the  year  1828,  I  attended  the  Central  Association,  in  Fly 
Creek  settlement,  iri  Otsego  county  ;  the  Black  Fviver  Associa- 
tion, in  Ellisburg  ;  as  well  as  the  Ontario  and  Cayuga  Associa- 
tions, which  I  have  before  mentioned.  While  at  the  Ontario 
Association,  I  received,  by  the  hand  of  a  friend,  a  very  hand- 
somely-bound pocket-testament,  as  a  present  from  Dr.  J.  B. 
Pierce,  of  Lyons,  son  of  the  lady  whose  conversion  from  Meth- 
odism, in  Hamilton,  I  have  noticed,  with  a  request  from  the  do- 
nor that  I  should  call  and  deliver  a  discourse  in  Lyons,  on  my 
return.  Having  no  engagement  for  the  Sabbath  intervening  the 
Ontario  and  Cayuga  Associations.  I  returned  an  answer  that  1 
would  be  at  Lyons  on  that  day.  Extensive  notice  was  given, 
and  a  congregation  filled  every  seat  in  the  court-house  on  the 
occasion  ;  many  of  the  most  respectable  and  influential  citizens 
attended,  and  among  them,  the  FTon.  Myron  Holley,  of  consid- 
erable celebrity  in  the  political  world.  This  led  to  a  request  for 
me  to  visit  them  again  the  ensuing  winter,  and  spend  a  few  Sab- 
baths in  succession  with  them,  as  the  distance  from '  mv  resi- 
dence, being  nearly  one  hundred  miles,  would  render  it  very 
inconvenient  to  go  for  a  single  Sabbath  at  a  time.  Arrange- 
ments were  accordingly  made,  and  in  the  month  of  January  fol- 
lowing, (1829,)  I  spent  three  Sabbaths  in  Lyons.  The  houses 
of  Myron  Holley,  Esq.,  and  Dr.  J.  B.  Pierce,  were  freely  open- 
ed  tome,  and  in  their  kind,  hospitable  families  I  received  every 
civility  and  attention  I  could  possibly  desire,  during  my  stay. 
The  court-house,   which  we  occupied  for  our  meetings,  was 


346  MEMOIRS 

quite  a  spacious  building,  for  a  country  town,  and  was  uniformly 
well  filled  on  each  Sabbath  ;  and  the  meetings  constantly  in- 
creased in  popularity  and  in  attendance.  Appearances  were 
then  certainly  promising  for  building  up  a  respectable  society, 
and  permanently  establishing  the  cause  in  that  place  ;  and  I 
very  much  regretted  that  I  could  not  comply  with  their  earnest 
solicitations  to  remain  longer ;  but  my  other  engagements  for- 
bade  it.  I  left  them,  however,  with  some  hopes  of  being  able 
to  make  them  another  visit ;  but  subsequent  circumstances  ren- 
dered it  impossible  ever  to  enjoy  that  privilege. 

Mr.  Holley  was  a  man  of  much  popularity ;  but  although  a 
firm  and  avowed  believer  in  Universal  Salvation,  and  a  real 
lover  of  the  truth,  he  would  much  prefer  the  name  of  Unitari- 
an.  He  had  some  personal  acquaintance  with  the  celebrated 
Dr.  Channing,  of  Boston,  extolled  him  very  highly,  and  said 
that  Dr.  C.  was  as  firm  a  believer  in  the  ultimate  holiness  and 
happiness  of  all  mankind  as  I  was,  although  he  was  denomina- 
ted a  Unitarian  ;  and  Mr.  Holley  thought  that  the  cause  would 
flourish  better  under  that  name,  than  Univ^rsalism.  Oh  !  how 
names  will  sometimes  frighten  men  of  sound  abilities,  and  of 
great  boldness  in  other  respects.  But  Mr.  H.  was  a  constant  at- 
tendant on  ray  meeting,  and  treated  me  with  the  utmost  respect 
and  cordiality,  and  probably  contributed  the  most  liberal  for 
my  support, of  any  individual  who  attended  the  meeting. 

The  parents  of  Dr.  Pierce  resided  in  the  town  of  Rose,  some 
twelve  or  fifteen  miles  from  Lyons.  They  attended  meeting  in 
Lyons  one  Sunday ;  and,  during  my  sojourn,  I  made  them  one 
visit,  and  delivered  one  discourse  in  their  place.  During  the 
time  I  remained  in  this  country,  I  delivered  several  lectures  on 
week  days,  or  rather  evenings,  in  the  adjacent  towns,  and  among 
the  rest,  one  in  Newark,  where  now  is  a  flourishing  society,  and 
an  elegant  meeting-house.  But  Newark  was  then  but  an  indif- 
ferent  hamlet.  One  public-house,  and  "a  few  other  buildings 
were  all  that  could  be  counted  where  the  village  of  Newark, 
with  its  splendid  churches,  its  numerous  stores  and  houses  of 
entertainment,  its  spacious  streets  and  ornaments,  its  tasteful 
and  sumptuous  dwellings,  and  its  thousands  of  inhabitants,  now 
graces  the  banks  of  the  grand  canal. 

Having  finished  my  mission  here,  for  the  present  season,  and 
received  from  the  hands  of  my  friends  a  liberal  reward  for  my 
labors  with  them,  and  from  their  lips  the  heart- felt  valedictory 
blessing,  1  bade  adieu  to  this  romantic  and  delightful  little  vil- 
lage ;  and  have  never  since  set  my  foot  within  its  borders. 


CHAPTEE  IV. 


Retrospection— Present  state  of  the  cause^Ephemeral  preachers— J.  S.  Thomp- 
son— Laborious  itinerations — ^Remunerations— Approaching  storm — Anti-Ma- 
sonic excitement — x'Vnarchy  in  churches  generally— Agitation  in  Universalist 
■  societies — Disaffection  in  the  church  in  Hamilton — Mr.  H ■ — Church  meet- 
ing—Address— Bernard's  "  Light  on  Masonry"— Elder  Blain  ;  his  course  at  a 
Masonic  funeral — Thoughts  on  removal — Correspondence  with  societies — Vi- 
sit to  Brooklyn,  Pa. — Proposals  from  Columbus,  Pa. — Visit  to  Columbus — 
Brokenstraw  country — Capt.  D.  Curtis— Village  commenced — Further  arrange- 
ments— Return — Disposal  of  property  in  Hamilton — Visit  to  Vermont — Mr. 
Freeman's  visit  and  settlement — ^His  ministry  and  death — Farewell  discourse 
— Removal — Arrival  at  Columbus — Gift  of  a  village  lot — Winter  arrange- 
ments—Sickness of  ray  wife — 'Organization  of  a  society  and  church — Calls  for 
preaching — One  preacher  in  all  this  country — State  of  the  cause — Extensive 
itinerancy — Societies  organized — Our  family — Severe  trial  and  bereavement — 
Intense  feeling— Divine  power  of  faith — Commencement  on  a  farni  lot — The 
oldest  son  returns  to  his  trade  ;  the  other  chooses  a  profession,  and  farming 
abandoned — Death  of  Capt.  Curtis — Temporal  misfortune— A  periodical, 
"  Genius  of  Liberty" — Mr.  Z.  C.  Todd's  indifference  of  order ;  his  course  and 
his  defection. 

We  have  now  arrived  at  a  point  in  the  history  of  my  life,  as 
well  as  that  of  Universalism,  where  it  will  be  proper  for  us  to 
pause,  and  take  a  brief  retrospective  glance.  And,  standing 
upon  the  verge  of  the  year  of  our  Lord  1830,  having  seen 
more  than  half  a  century,  an  elevation  to  which,  in  my  youth, 
I  never  expected  to  attain — I  can  look  back  with  sensations  of 
devout  gratitude  to  the  great  Author  of  my"  being,  and  to  the 
prime  minister  of  his  government,  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
with  mingled  feelings  of  complacency  and  regret  upon  my  past 
life.  There  are  many  scenes  of  my  life,  and  many  actions  that 
I  can  call  to  recollection  with  conscientious  approval  ;  but  many, 
alas  !  too,  too  many,  that  I  could  wish  obliterated  from  Jehovah's 
book  ! 

In  regard  to  the  doctrine,  or  rather  the  Order  of  Universal ists 


:348  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

in  America,  I  have  seen  it,  in  its  infancy,  oppressed  by  the  cruel 
hand  of  a  gigantic  enemy,  throwing  obloquy  and  contempt,  cal- 
umny and  detraction  upon  its  cradle,  and  using  every  unhal- 
lowed means  to  smother  it  in  its  childhood.  But,  1  have  seen  it, 
under  the  fostering  tare  of  the  great  Head  of  the  church,  arise 
through  all  these  impediments,  and  gradually,  but  surely,  ac- 
quire the  stature  of  a  man  ;  and,  with  the  strength  of  a  Samp- 
son, tear  asunder  the  "cords"  and  the  "  withes"  \vith  which 
they  attempted  to  bind  it ;  and,  with  becoming  dignity,  command 
the  respect  of  surrounding  denominations.  In  the  Stateof  New 
York,  1  have  witnessed  its  first, breathings,  its  infantile  struggles, 
its  youthful  fears  and  hopes,  and  ardent  longings  and  anticipa- 
tions, until  it  assumed  a  manly  dignity.  I  have  been  with  it 
from  before  the  organization  of  the  second  society,  at  a  time 
when  only  three  of  the  feeblest  of  the  feeble  advocates  of  its 
cause  W'-ere  engaged  in  its  behalf;  with  nothing  but  the  approv- 
ing smiles  of  high  Heaven  and  the  approbation  of  their  own 
consciences  to  encourage  them  in  their  arduous  and  thankless 
task.  I  have — and  I  record  it  with  feelings  of  unmingled  grat- 
itude to  Almighty  God — beheld  its  advancement  until  it  com- 
prises within  its  expanding  embrace  nearly  two  hundred  socie- 
ties, and  between  eighty  and  one  hundred  preachers,  ten  associ- 
ations and  a  general  State  convention  ;  and  all  this  within  twen- 
ty.five  years. 

During  the  period  we  have  reviewed,  there  were  quite  a  num- 
ber who  appeared  in  our  religious  hemisphere,  either  as  tran- 
sient visiters  from  other  spheres,  or  were  kindled  up  with  the 
combustible  elements  of  our  own,  like  meteors,  whose  epheme- 
ral glare  served  only  to  make  the  darkness  more  visible  in  the 
region  of  the  path  they  traversed  ;  but  who  soon  passed  off  into 
other  spheres,  or  dispersed  in  common  air.  Among  them  may 
be  named  an  Ellis,  a  Lisher,  a  Thompson,  a  Brownson,  a  Gib- 
son, a  Streeter,  a  Jacobs,  a  Goodwin,  a  Shannon,  and  perhaps 
some  others.  *But  the  most  remarkable  was  John  S.  Thompson. 
He  was  a  European  by  birth,  a  man  of  professed  erudition,  and 
of  good  speaking  talents.  He  came  to  America  in  the  character 
of  a  Methodist  preacher,  but,  as  I  was  informed,  became  con- 
verted  to  Universalism  by  disputing  with  Mr.  Kneeland  in  the 
Berean  Society,  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia.  But,  alas  !  though 
a  theoretical  Universalist,  he  knew  not  its  spiritual  vitality  ;  he 
appeared  wholly  destitute  of  the  stamina  of  pure  religion.  He 
was  a  man  of  strong,  turbulent,  and  unchastened  passions,  and 
of  towering  ambition  ;  and,  no  doubt,  entered  the  ranks  of  Uni. 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  349 

versalists,  with  a  design  to  be  an  oracle  and  a  leader ;  but  al- 
though they  venerated  his  learning,  and  appreciated  his  talents, 
they  could  not  succumb  to  his  dictatorial  arrogance ;  and  be- 
coming dissatisfied,  he  flashed  and  passed  from  our  orbit.  He 
was  a  man  of  keen,  satirical  wit,  and  his.  petulancy  frequently 
led  him  to  make  a  severe  use  of  it,  when  speaking  of  opposing 
denominations.  A  lady  in  the  village  of  Auburn  once  told  me 
an  anecdote  of  him,  quite  amusing :  He  was  speaking  of  the 
dogmas  of  Trinitarianism  and  endless  miseiy,  and  trying  to 
make  them  look  as  ridiculous  as  language  would  admit  of,  and 
becoming  passionately  disturbed  with  the  disgusting  subject,  he 
broke  out  in  his  true  Irish  brogue,  "  Why,  there's  yer  great 
God,  the  Father,  he  is  wilUng  the  salvation  of  all  men ;  and 
there's  yer  great  God,  the  Son,  he  is  inthercedin'  ;  and  there's 
yer  great  God,  the  Holy  Ghost,  he  is  dhrawin'  ;  but  that  little 
black  man,  down  there,  ouUpulls  tliem  all  V^ 

hi  regard  to  myself — my  life,  thus  far,  since  I  entered  upon 
the  ministry,  has  been  exceedingly  laborious.  My  travels,  m 
all  seasons,  through  all  kinds  of  roads,  amid  all  sorts  of 
wetither,  and  amidst  almost  all  the  variety  of  character  that 
human  nature  is  capable  of  sustaining,  have  been  excessively 
fatiguing.  I  have  itinerated  from  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic  to 
Lake  Erie,  and  from  the  borders  of  Lake  Ontario  to  the  city  of 
Philadelphia ;  and  my  remunerations,  taken  in  the  aggregate, 
have  been  scarcely  sufficient  to  defray  the  necessary  expenses  of 
my  peregrinations.  But  for  the  greatest  share  of  the  time,  Hea- 
ven has  blessed  me  with  good  health,  and  with  increasing  vigor 
of  constitution  ;  and  in  addition  to  the  consciousness  of  using  my 
utmost  endeavors  to  discharge  a  solemn  and  imperative  duty,  I 
have  been  encouraged  and  sustained  by  the  smiles  and  the 
friendship  of  a  few  individuals  who,  in  spite  of  the  frowns  of  a 
domineering  and  bigoted  church,  the  anathemas  of  a  proud 
and  pampered  priesthood,  or  the  sneers  of  a  thoughtless,  a  soul- 
less, and  a  selfish  world,  have  dared  to  stretch  forth  the  helping 
hand,  and  to  stand  firmly  by  me  through  good  and  through  evil 
report ;  and,  until  within  a  short  time  past,  I  have  enjoyed  tlie 
heart-sustaining  consolation  of  living  in  the  most  perfect  harmo- 
ny with  the  church  of  my  most  special  charge,  as  well  as  with 
all  the  societies  to  which  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  minister- 
ing. I  am  not  conscious  that  there  ever  was,  until  quite  recent- 
ly, the  least  distrust,  jealousy,  or  unkind  fueling  existing  in  tire 
head  cr  heart  of  a  single  member  of  the  church  or  so- 
ciety in  Hamilton  toward  me  \  or  that  a  word,  a  look,  or  an  ao- 


vioO  MEMOIRS  0^  T«E 

lion,  ever  for  one  moment  interrupted  our  cordiality  and  pef^ 
feet  harmony.  But  a  change  came  over  the  scene  ;  and  were 
it  possible,  with  justice  to  the  reader  and  to  the  world,  I  would 
'f'seal  up  what  the  seven  thunders  uttered,"  I  would  suppress 
Ihis  portion  of  the  hisfory  of  my  life,  and  try  to  sink  in  everlast- 
ing oblivion  those  events  which  pain  my  soal  to  record*  But  I 
have  promised  to  give  a  faithful  and  true  history  ;  and  however 
painful  to  me,  or  unpleasant  to  others,  the  task  must  be  perform- 
ed. And  I  pray  God,  that  it  may  prove  a  salutary  monition  to 
religious  bodies,  to  let  no  popular  excitement  intrude  upon  their 
consecrated  gl-ound,  and  sow  acrimonious  discord  among  the 
brethren. 

Everybody  knows  what  havoc  the  anti-Masonic  excitement 
made  of  churches,  societies,  and  associations,  and  of  religious 
bodies  of  every  description,  and  of  every  denomination,  through 
Ihe  length  and  breadth  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  even 
much  farther-— in  almost  every  State  in  the  Union.  And  what 
scenes  of  discord  it  produced  through  all  ranks  of  society,  from 
the  highest  to  the  lowest.  Political  aspirants,  demagogues,  and 
partisans,  laid  held  of  it  to  accomplish  their  disorganizing  pur. 
poses— religious  hypocrites  vv^ho  had  joined  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity to  clothe  themselves  with  a  respectability  that  they  were 
unworthy  of,  and  to  gain  an  influence  which  their  moral  char- 
acter, together  with  their  religious  profession,  without  it  could 
never  acquire,  and  never  deserved— -took  advantage  of  it,  by  re- 
iiouncing  Masonry,  whose  principles  they  never  understood  nor 
appreciated,  to  hoist  themselves  into  popular  favor,  and  fan  the 
flame  of  discord  to  gratify  their  unhallowed  ambition,  and  viler 
passions  ;  and  by  these  means,  the  most  bitter  and  malignant 
ispirit  that  ever  characterized  the  m.ost  violent  political  factions, 
found  its  way  into  the  church.  "Fire-brands,  arrows,  and 
death,"'  were  hurled  v/ith  relentless  fury,  until  the  peaceable 
kingdom  of  the  Redeemer  almost  became  an  Aceldama. 

It  was  to  be  hoped  that  the  liberality  of  Universalists,  their 
detestation  of  spiritual  tyranny  of  every  description,  their  admi- 
ration of  unrestricted  liberty  of  opinion,  thought,  word,  and  ac- 
tion, would  be  a  guaranty  against  any  important  inroads  of  this 
mover  of  seditions  within  the  peaceable  precincts  of  their  fra- 
ternity. But,  alas  !  the  hope  was  fallacious  ;  Unrversalists  are  but 
men,  and  the  contagion  was  most  insidious. 

Nearly  all  the  Universalist  preachers  in  the  state  of  New  York 
were  Masons,  as  well  as  vast  numbers  of  the  clergy  of  other  de- 
nominations.    Before  I  ever  came  into  the  state,  I  united  with  the 


LIFE   OF    RU^r.   NATHANffiL    ^TACY.  Sol 

fraternity  ;  and  I  here  feel  under  a  solemn  obligation  to  state, 
that  during  all  the  trials,  the  obloquy  and  the  perscutions  1  expe^ 
rienced  on  that  account,  I  never,  for  a  moment,  regretted  the  step 
I  had  taken.     But  this  hydra-headed  monster, 

'*  Whose  tongue  outvencms  all  the  wonns  of  Nile 
Whose  breath  rides  on  the  posting  winds  and  doth 
Belie  all  comers  of  the  world/' 

found  its  way  into  our  ranks,  sundering  the  cords  of  fraternal 
affection,  which  had  proved  invulnerable  to  the  attack  of  every 
other  enemy,  and  shook  many  societies  to  th'5ir  centre,  if  it  did 
not  entirely  prostrate  them.  Large  numbers  who  had  professed 
an  unshaken  faith  in  the  doctrine,  who  had  been  the  most  ardent 
friends  of  our  preachers,  and  among  their  most  liberal  support- 
ers, left  the  meetings  and  withdrew  their  patronage  from  every 
preacher  who  was  a  Freemason  ;  and  instantaneously  discovered 
in  the  characters  of  those  they  had  extolled  as  super-human* — a^ 
almost  atigelic' — all  the  appalling  deformities  of  a  demon  of 
the  lower  regions. 

There  were  but  a  Very  few  in  the  church  and  society  in  Ham- 
ilton who  entirely  abandoned  our  meetings ;  but  "  the  love  of 
many  waxed  cold,"  and  this  was  a  sore  trial  to  me.  My  soul 
was  formed  for  friendship ;  and  the  manifest  frigidity  of  those 
cords  which  bound  the  people  of  my  charge  to  me,  cooled  the 
ardor  of  my  feelings,  and  I  felt  confident  would  rendel'  my  la- 
bors among  them  a  mere  nullity. 

Among  my  anti-Masonic  brethren  and  sisters,  (for  this  was 
an  excitement  in  which  females  took  a  very  active  part,)  were 
a  few  who  had  been  among  my  warmest  friends  and  most  liberal 
supporters;  one  particularly,  a  Mr.  H.,  who  several  years  af- 
terwards confessed  to  me,  that  anti-Masonry  overset  his  reason 
and  destroyed  his  religion,  during  its  reign.  This  man  was  an 
active  member  of  the  church  ;  he  had  been  one  of  my  most  de* 
Voted  friends  ;  but  the  anti-Masonic  excitement  had  produced  a 
complete  aberration  of  his  reasoning  powers,  and  converted  him 
into  a  most  stupid  and  superstitious  fanatic.  He  told  my  wife 
once,  in  conversation  with  her  on  the  subject  of  Masonry,  that 
he  did  not  believe  I  was  luilUngly  and  Z67y«//?/ guilty  of  murder, 
but  he  had  no  doubt  that  numerous  instances  of  murder  had  been 
committedin  Hie  lodge,  while  I  was  present.  But  Masons  pos- 
sessed the  infernal  power  of  casting  a  mist  before  the  eyes  of 
whom  they  pleased  ;  and  knowing  that  I  would  not  approve  of 
deeds  of  murder,  the  leaders  blinded  my  eyes  while  the  dread- 
ful act  was  done  ',  for  he  believed  they  uniformly  put  to  death 


352  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

all  who  violated  their  oaths.  He  labored  very  earnestly  and 
faithfully  with  me,  to  have  me  renounce  Masonry ;  but,  being 
unsuccessful,  he  at  length  told  me,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  that 
he  must  conscientiously  leave  my  meetings,  and  withdraw  his 
support  from  me. 

On  a  certain  Saturday,  at  a  preparatory  meeting  previous  to 
communion,  Mr.  H.  desired  a  little  private  conversation  with 
me  before  the  services  of  the  meeting.  We  retired  ;  and  he  then 
asked  me,  how  I  felt  in  regard  to  Masonry,  and  if  I  did  not  con- 
sider it  my  duty  to  renounce  it.  I  told  him  that  my  feelings  had 
undergone  no  alteration  on  that  subject  since  my  first  acquaint- 
ance with  the  institution,  and  I  could  not  renounce  it  until  I  saw 
something  in  it  different  from  what  1  had  been  able  to  discover  ; 
and  that  was  hopeless,  as  I  had  taken  all  the  degrees  that  be- 
longed to  it,  and  knew  as  much  about  it  as  any  other  man.  He 
replied,  that  he  was  very  sorry,  and  that  under  such  circum- 
jtances  he  could  not  commune  with  me.  I  answered,  "  This  is 
hard,  Brother  H.,  but  you  and  I  must  act  for  ourselves  ;  and  let 
us  try  to  be  honest  with  ourselves,  in  the  fear  of  God."  He 
further  remarked,  that  he  should  have  something  to  say  in  our 
church  meeting  ;  but  as  he  desired  not  to  hurt  the  feelings  of  any 
one  more  than  he  could  help,  he  wished  to  have  the  other  mem- 
bers speak  first.  I  told  him,  he  should  certainly  enjoy  his  priv-  . 
ilege,  and  at  such  time  as  would  be  most  agreeable  to  him. 

Tlie  meeting  was  opened  in  the  usual  form,  by  a  short  lecture, 
the  members  of  the  church  had  all  expressed  their  feelings  very 
freely,  and  some  of  them  with  considerable  animation.  Mr.  H. 
was  quite  deaf,  and  as  the  sisters  generally  spoke  without  rising, 
he  was  unable  to  determine  whether  or  not  they  had  spoken,  or 
indeed  were  speaking;  I  therefore  said  to  htm,  "  Brother  H.,  I 
believe  we  have  heard  from  all  the  brethren  and  sisters  but  your- 
»elf .;  if  you  have  a  word  for  us,  we  shall  be  happy  to  hear  from 
you."  Re  instantly  arose,  and  spoke  Avith  a  good  degree  of 
warmth  of  the  strength  of  his  faith,  his  love  of  the  Redeemer's 
cause  and  kingdom,  his  determination  to  persevere,  &c.;  andex- 
liorted  the  brethren  and  sisters  to  be  faithful,  and  persevere  un- 
to the  end.  "But,"  "said  he,  "there  are  tvro  brethren  in  the 
ehurch,  Brother  Stacy  and  Brother  Lord,  that,  under  existing 
circumstances,  I  can  not  commune  with.  They  belong  to  a  so- 
ciety which,  I  believe,  had  its  origin  in  heathenish  darkness; 
which  has  for  its  object  the  destruction  of  religion  and  civil  gov- 
ernment ;  and  which  has  been  sup;x^rted  by  hlood  and  murder 
from  its  commencement  up  to  the  present  time."     And  after  in- 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  353 

vcigliing,  for  several  minutes,  against  Masonry  in  the  strong- 
est language  he  was  master  of,  Mr.  H.  took  his  seat.  I  then 
arose,  and  addressed  them,  in  substance,  in  the  following  lan- 
guage : 

"Brethren  and  sisters,  I  rise  not  to  attempt  a  vindication  of 
Free  Masonry  against  the  charges  which  have  been  brought 
against  it.  I  am  extremely  sorry  to  be  under  the  necessity  of 
saying  one  word  on  the  subject.  I  had  seriously  hoped  that 
TJniversalists,  at  least,  would  have  the  liberality  to  let  people 
settle  matters  which  solely  belong  to  their  own  consciences 
without  interfering — matters  exclusively  between  their  own 
consciences  and  their  God.  But  I  have  risen  to  ask  you,  Avhat 
you  want  of  me.  You  know  me  as  well  as  it  is  possible  for 
you  to  know  a  man.  Twenty-five  years  I  have  had  the  plea- 
sure of  preaching  to  you,  and  twenty -two  years  I  have  lived 
in  your  midst;  so  that  you  are  under  no  necessity  of  inquir- 
ing of  any  man  concerning  me,  for  you  yourselves  know  all 
about  me  that  can  be  known  by  man.  You  are  acquainted 
with  my  private  character  as  well  as  my  public  fame,  with 
my  daily  walk  and  conversation  as  well  as  my  public  labors  ; 
and,  if  I  am, guilty  of  any  crime,  of  any  immorality,  or  mis- 
demeanor, you  know  it — you  need  no  other  evidence  than  y  our 
own  personal  knowledge,  for  you  know  all  about  me  that 
77iorta/s  can  knoiv.  And  you  know  that  I  was  a  Free-Mason 
before  you  ever  saw  me — before  1  ever  came  into  this  country. 
If  Masonry,  therefore,  has  led  me  into  bad  company,  if  it  has 
imbued  my  soul  with  bad  principles,  with  a  malicious,  vindic- 
tive spirit,  and  led  me  into  the  commission  of  crime,  it  can  not 
be  hidden  from  you.  1  have  never  said  any  thing  to  any  of 
you  on  the  subject  of  Masonry,  as  I  can  recoll-ect,  unless  by 
your  request ;  and  then  I  have  fully  and  cheerfully  explained 
to  you  its  principles,  without  reserve.  I  have  never  said  it 
was  Christianity,  nor  equal  to  Christianity  ;  but  I  have  said, 
and  I  now  say  again,  that  there  is  nothing  in  Masonry,  either 
in  its  principles  or  in  its  formulas,  incompatible  with  the 
purest  religion,  or  that  should  prevent  the  most  devotional  and 
fervent  Christian  from  uniting  with  the  order — that  it  enjoined 
the  same  rules  of  moral  life — that  the  great  square,  by  which 
it  requires  its  votaries  to  try  all  their  actions,  was  the  golden 
rule  of  our  Savior :  "  All  things,  whatsoever  ye  would  that 
men  should  do  unto  you,  do  ye  even  so  unto  them."  I  as 
much  disapprove  of,  and  condemn^  the  conduct  of  those  con- 
cerned in  the  abduction  of  William  Morgan,  as  any  of  you 
w 


354  MEMOIRS    OF    TM£ 

can ;  and  I  know  no  more  about  it  than  you  do  ;  nor  have  J 
any  other  means  of  knowing  about  it  than  you  have  ;  and  i 
would  use  all  the  means  in  my  power,  as  readily  as  any  oi' 
you,  to  bring  the  perpetrators  of  that  crime  to  justice.  But 
one  thing  I  do  know  that  you  do  not,  and  that  is,  that  the  act 
was  a  total  violation  of  the  principles  of  Masonry,  and  must 
have  been  committed  by  men,  though  nominal  Masons,  who 
were  criminally  ignorant  of  its  moral  principles,  and  were  in- 
fluenced by  a  blind  and  perverse  fanaticism,  or,  perhaps,  by 
selfish  and  more  criminal  miotives. 

"  But,  I  ask  again,  what  you  now  want  of  me  ?  Do  you 
want  that  I  should  tell  you,  that  for  tv/enty-five  years,  while 
I  have  been  advocating  religion  in  your  presence,  and  profess- 
ing to  be  a  v/arm  admirer  of  the  civil  institutions  of  our  be- 
loved country,  and  an  ardent  supporter  of  good  government, 
that  I  have  all  this  time,  been  a  base  hypocrite  ?  and  been 
combined  with  a  set  of  vile  knaves  and  rascals  for  the  over- 
throw  of  both,  as  Brother  H.  says  I  have  ?  Or  do  you  wish 
me  now,  for  the  sake  of  gratifying  some  splenetic  mind,  to  be- 
come a  hypocrite  ?  Do  you  wish  me  to  say  that  Masonry  is 
a  vile  institution,  when  I  know  better?  Now  if  ^ou  want  ei- 
ther of  these,  my  brethren  and  sisters,  you  can  not  have  them. 
Thus  far  I  have  been  an  honest  man  ;  and,  by  the  help  of 
God,  I'll  die  an  honest  man.  I  hold  myself  responsible  to  you 
for  my  conduct,  and  not  only  to  you,  but  to  the  world—to  the 
least  child  that  walks  on  God's  footstool.  Point  out  to  me  a 
crime — a  wrong  that  I  have  committed  against  any  living  be- 
ing, that  is  tangible,  that  can  be  investigated,  and  I  will  crawl 
on  my  hands  and  knees,  if  I  can  not  walk  on  my  feet,  until  I 
make  reparation.  If  you  can  not  sit  under  my  ministry,  tell 
me  so,  and  I  will  use  my  best  endeavors  to  procure  you  a 
preacher  who  can  edify  you  ;  or  if  you  will  hear  me  preach, 
but  can  not  receive  the  elements  of  communion  at  my  hands, 
tell  me  whom  you  would  choose  to  break  the  bread  for  you, 
and  I  will  exchange  with  him  if  within  my  power.  All  these 
things  I  will  freely  and  cheerfully  do  for  you  ;  but  do  not  ask 
me  to  renounce  Masonry,  for  I  will  not  do  it.  And  I  now 
say,  for  once  and  for  all,  you  have  no  business  loith  it — you  have 
no  right  to  coinjplain  of  me  alout,  nor  he  grieved  ivith  it — it  is  a 
matter  exclusively  between  my  own  conscience  and  my  God  ; 
and  I  feel  no  accountability  to  you  on  the  subject.  I  will  enter 
into  no  compact  with  you  about  it,  nor  agree  not  to  sit  in  a 
lodge.     I  will  do  so  if  I  please,  and  as  often  as  I  please,  with- 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  355 

ful  asking  your  liberty.  I  will  have  my  liberty  in  this  re- 
spect; and  while  I  cheerfully  accord  to  you  equal  liberty,  I 
beg  of  you  never  again  to  let  this  subject  be  brought  into  the; 
church." 

When  I  resumed  my  seat,  there  was  not  a  dry  eye  in  the 
house;  I  felt  myself  deeply  moved.  The  subject  was  a  ten- 
der one,  and  when  I  arose  1  resolved  to  make  a  finish  of  it — 
to  never  have  it  again  introduced  into  church-meeting — and 
it  never  was.  As  soon  as  the  power  of  speech  was  recovered, 
several  voices  exclaimed,  "  We  do  not  want  Brother  Stacy  to 
renounce  Masonry  now — it  is  certainly  too  late." 

But  the  wound,  though  probed,  v,'as  not  thoroughly  healed  ; 
there  were  too  many  iniiuences  against  it.  Anti- Masonic 
tracts  and  periodicals  were  profusely  scattered  over  the  coun- 
try— churches  of  every  denomination  were  fanatically,call- 
ing  many  of  their  pastors  and  members  to  an  account,  and 
fulminating  their  anathemas  against  such  as  would  not  re- 
nounce— acrimonious  denunciations  against  the  order  by  pro- 
fessed seceding  Masons  were  zealously  circulated — Barnard's 
^'  Light  on  Masonry  "  was  hailed  as  an  oracle — and  anarchy 
and  misrule,  among  churches  as  well  as  society  in  general, 
were  the  order  of  the  day.  *Some  preachers,  in  order  to  re- 
lain  their  standing  and  salary,  would  compromise  with  their 
churches,  by  agreeing  never  again  to- attend  a  Masonic  meet- 
ing ;  and  it  was  considered  an  act  of  great  liberality  and  con- 
descension in  a  church  to  accept  of  such  a  condition.  I  was 
a  witness  to  one  disgusting  scene  arising  from  such  a  com- 
promise. There  was  a  Baptist  clergyman  by  the  name  of 
Blain,  pastor  of  a  church  in  Madison,  a  man  of  reputed  su- 
perior talents,  and  a  truly  fluent  speaker,  became  a  very  zeal- 
ous Free-Mason.  He  delivered  several  festival  sermons,  one 
or  more  of  which  was  published,  in  which  he  extolled  Mason- 
ry vastly  beyond  what  I  conscientiously  could  do,  not  only  as 
the  handmaid  of  Christianity,  but  almost  its  mistress,  and 
certainly  above  every  other  institution  known  amorfg  men.  It 
^0  happened  in  the  midst  of  the  anti-Masonic  excitement,  that 
a  member  of  the  lodge  to  which  we  both  belonged  died  ;  and, 
on  his  death- bed,  requested  the  lodge  to  bury  him,  and  me  to 
deliver  the  discourse.  The  lodge  met  on  the  occasion,  pro- 
ceeded  to  the  house  of  the  deceased,  took  charge  of  the  body, 
and  conveyed  it  to  the  meeting-house,  where  I  met  Brother 
Blain,  and  invited  him  into  the  desk.  He  cheerfully  accepted 
Uie  invitation,  and  at  my  request  made  a  prayer.     It  was  in 


356  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

the  winter,  and  on  a  cold  day  ;  and  the  master  of  the  lodge 
concluded  to  perform  as  much  of  the  funeral  rites  in  the 
church  as  would  possibly  be  consistent,  because  it  would  be 
very  uncomfortable  standing  long  at  the  grave.  Therefore, 
as  soon  as  the  pulpit  services  closed,  he  began  the  Masonic. 
I  heard  a  noise  at  my  side — looked  around,  when  Br.  Blain 
had  seized  his  hat,  and  was  running  from  the  desk  as  thougii 
a  lion  was  at  his  heels.  He  had  made  such  a  covenant  with 
liis  church.  From  my  soul,  I  pitied  the  man,  while  I  despised 
his  conduct. 

Very  few  of  the  church  or  society  in  Hamilton,  except  Mr, 
H.,  entirely  withdrew  their  patronage  ;  but  they  became  quite 
remiss  in  attending  meetings,  and  cold  and  distant  in  their 
demeanor  toward  me.  These  things  I  could  not  endure  ; 
and  4  resolved,  for  my  oAvn  peace  and  tranquility,  as  well  as 
that  of  the  church  and  the  good  of  the  cause,  to  change  my 
residence.  I  made  known  my  determination — indeed,  I  had 
made  several  trials,  years  before  this,  to  get  the  society  willing 
for  my  removal,  believing  that  the  change  would  be  profitable 
to  them,  if  not  to  me ;  but  hitherto  they  had  effectually  op- 
posed every  movement  of  the  kind.  Now,  however,  although 
a  majority  manifested  great  reluctance  to  the  proposed  mea- 
sure, yet  they  could  not  help  seeing  that  the  present  state  of 
feeling  was  an  ample  justification  of  my  course. 

After  it  became  known  abroad,  that  1  would  remove  from 
Hamilton,  I  received  several  calls  to  settle  in  old  societies ; 
one  from  Sullivan,  Madison  county ;  one  from  Barre,  Ver- 
mont, which,  with  the  utmost  difficulty  and  not  without  near- 
ly  or  quite  offending  them,  I  resisted  ;  and  one  from  Brook- 
lyn^  Pennsylvania,  which  I  once  visited  in  the  course  of  the 
negotiation,  and  where  I  probably  should  have  i-emoved,  had  it 
not  been  for  rather  a  singular  incident,  which  eventually 
changed  my  course  to  another  place.  1  had  been  in  the  habit 
of  preaching,  more  or  less,  in  the  town  of  Columbus,  Che- 
nango county,  New  York ;  and  quite  a  respectable  number 
of  my  friends  had  removed  from  thence  and  the  adjoining 
towns  into  a  new  country  on  the  Brokenstraw  creek,  Warren 
county,  Pennsylvania,  where  they  had  settled  a  township  with 
families  who  had  nearly  all  emigrated  from  those  parts,  and 
in  honor  of  the  town  of  their  former  residence  had  given  it 
the  name  of  Columbus.  In  the  winter  of  1828,  while  on  a 
tour  in  Columbus,  I  visited  one  evening  with  two  families 
who  had  sold  their  property,  and  were  about   removing  to 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  357 

Brokenstraw ;  and,  in  the  course  of  the  conversation,  they 
said  to  me,  "  What  would  induce  you  to  move  into  our  new 
country  ?"  I  carelessly  replied,  "  Give  me  a  hundred  acres 
of  land,  and  TU  go."  This  led  to  some  further  remarks,  and 
ihey  again  asked  me,  "If  we  should  offer  you  a  hundred 
acres  of  land,  would  you  agree  to  move  to  Brokenstraw?" 
i  replied,  "  If  you  want  any  thing  serious  about  it,  I  will  se- 
riously teil  you  what  I  will  do.  If  you  will  make  me  the 
offer,  so  that  I  can  feel  sure,  if  I  accept  of  it,  I  will  certainly 
make  you  a  visit,  if  life  and  health  will  permit ;  and  if,  after 
seeing  it,  I  like  the  country,  I  will  remove  there.  But  the 
land  must  not  be  a  consideration  for  preaching,  but  a  dona- 
tion for  becoming  a  settler  among  you«  I  will  not  be  under 
obligation  to  preach  one  Sunday  for  the  land ;  if  I  preach, 
that  must  be  another  consideration."  "  Well,"  they  replied, 
^'  we  believe  you  will  have  the  offer."  Here  the  matter  was 
dropped.  In  the  following  spring,  these  families  removed  to 
Brokenstraw,  and  1  thought  little  or  nothing  more  about  it. 
In  the  mean  time,  the  correspondence  with  the  societies  above 
alluded  to,  took  place  ;  and  I  made  one  visit  to  Brooklyn  with 
pretty  strong  anticipations  of  accepting  the  call  from  that  so- 
ciety. But  wholly  unexpected  by  me,  early  in  the  spring  of 
1829,  I  received  a  package  from  Captain  David  Curtis,  then 
postmaster  in  Columbus,  Warren  county.  Pa.,  containing  the 
offer  of  one  hundred  acres  of  land  in  that  township,  upon  the 
exact  conditions  I  had  named  to  my  friends,  with  the  legal 
vouchers  to  make  it  sure,  in  case  I  accepted  the  offer ;  and 
giving  me  two  years  to  make  preparations,  and  remove  there. 
Hence,  I  was  then  under  obligation  to  fulfil  on  my  part,  so 
far,  at  least,  as  to  make  them  a  visit. 

The  society  in  Brooklyn  were  immediately  informed  of 
the  circumstance,  and  advised  to  seek  some  other  preacher  to 
supply  their  desk.  I  made  arrangements  with  as  much  de- 
spatch as  circumstances  would  admit ;  and,  about  the  middle 
of  June,  in  company  with  a  man  who  married  our  neice,  and 
who  wanted  to  find  a  home  in  some  new  country,  started  on 
this  journey  of  about  three  hundred  miles.  I  had  previously 
written  to  friends  in  Loekport  and  Buffalo,  which  I  designed 
to  visit  on  niy  way,  and  given  appointments  for  a  week-day 
lecture  in  Loekport,  and  the  usual  services  on  Sunday  in  Buf- 
falo; and  when  I  arrived  in  Jamestown,  I  was  immediately 
called  on  by  a  gentleman  who  had  attended  my  meetings  in 
Otsego  many  years  before,  and  almost  forcibly  detained  to 
preach  with  them  on  Sunday. 


358  MEMOIRS   OF    THE 

After  traveling  about  ten  miles  from  Jamestown,  Chautao- 
que  county,  we  entered  a  wild  and  almost  entirely  uncultiva- 
ted country,  where  the  road  was  merely  cleared  of  the  trees' 
and  fallen  timber,  the  streams  roughly  bridged,  but  in  other 
respects  left  in  a  state  of  nature,  and  almost  impassable  with 
our  carriage.  These  things  afforded  rather  a  gloomy  prospect ; 
but  we  saw  indications  of  strong  soil  in  the  unparalleled  size 
and  height  of  the  trees  of  that  dense  and  dark  forest  ;  and  oc- 
casionally we  passed  a  small  improvement,  where  the  pro- 
ducts of  cultivation  confirmed  this  indication.  In  the  wind- 
ing course  of  our  road  at  that  time,  we  had  to  travel  about 
sixteen  miles  over  a  rough  no-road  to  reach  our  destination. 
My  friends  had  been  apprised  of  our  approach,  and  were  pre- 
pared to  receive  us,  and  did  receive  us  with  every  demonstra- 
tion of  gratification.  This  township  and  the  immediate  vi- 
cinity were  entirely  new ;  although  within  fifteen,  twenty, 
and  twenty-five  miles  on  either  hand  were  old  settlements, 
and  some  populous  towns.  The  first  settlers  of  this  town  from 
the  east,  had  been  there  but  five  yeai-s;  and  they  were  the 
first  who  had  made  any  psrnTanent  improvements.  There 
were,  many  years  previously,  some  squatters  from  other  parts 
of  Pennsylvania,  settled  down  in  several  parts  of  this  and  ad- 
jacent towns,  remote  from  each  other,  who  had  cleared  oflT 
some  small  spots,  but  made  no  other  improvement — not  so 
much  as  to  cut  the  trees  from  the  road  wide  enough  for  an 
ox-sled  to  pass,  or  make  even  a  rude  bridge  across  a  single 
stream,  or  erect  any  kind*  of  mill,  or  establish  any  kind  of 
mechanical  business;  and  all  the  intercourse  they  held  with 
each  other,  or  any  of  the  rest  of  the  world,  was  by  means  of 
walking  and  wading  through  streams  of  vrater.  But  becom- 
ing discouraged,  and  finding  they  could  not  hold  the  land 
merely  by  possession,  which  they  anticipated  when  they  first 
settled  down  on  it,  they  had  all  left  but  two  or  three  families, 
before  our  eastern  people  came  into  the  country.  But  the 
present  population  was  of  Yankee  origin — hardy,  industrious^ 
and  enterprising — and  many  of  them  had  made  large  improve- 
ments, had  opened  roads  and  made  bridges  across  the  streams, 
had  erected  large  barns  and  out-houses,  and  astonished  the 
"  natives  "  by  their  zeal,  activity,  and  enterprise.  They  had 
already  drawn  a  plot  for  a  village  at  the  confluence  of  the 
Coffee-creek  with  the  Brokenstraw,  embracing  extensive  wa- 
ter-power, where  a  grist-mill  and  two  saw. mills  were  already 
erected  ;  and  they  had  commenced  putting  up  other  buildings... 
and  some  eight  or  ten  families  had  coliecied  there. 


LIFE    OF    REV.  NATHANIEL    STACY.  359 

The  first  business  after  our  arrival  was  to  have  a  meeting  ; 
and  the  next  to  show  me  the  country.  My  friend,  Captain 
Curtis,  devoted  his  time  to  this  object,  conducted  me  over  the 
township,  and  out  in  every  direction  to  the  surrounding  settle- 
ments. Although  the  country  was  mostly  in  a  state  of  na- 
ture, and  the  roads  intolerable,  still  I  was  pleased  with  it.  It 
evidently  possessed  great  strength  of  soil,  with  the  heaviest 
growth  and  the  greatest  variety  of  timber  I  had  ever  seen, 
or  have  since  seen,  thrown  together  in  any  one  place.  The 
country  was  neither  level  nor  mountainous,  but  just  undula- 
ting enough  to  produce  a  salubrious  air,  and  pure  and  lively 
streams  of  water,  sufficiently  large  for  all  ordinary  hydraulic 
purposes,  and  to  float  off  their  lumber  down  to  the  Allegany, 
tlience  to  the  Ohio,  and  to  the  western  and  southern  markets. 
Capt.  Curtis  was  well  qualified  to  show  me  the  country  ; 
for  he  was  a  practical  land-surveyor,  and  was  employed  by 
Huydekoper,  the  general  agent  of  the  Holland  company,  who 
owned  the  greatest  part  of  this  township  and  the  adjacent 
country,  to  survey  and  dispose  of  these  lands  ;  and  he  devoted 
two  weeks,  principally,  to  make  me  acquainted  with  it. 

The  village,  as  1  have  already  remarked,  was  la^,d  out  at 
the  confluence  of  the  Coffee-creek  with  the  Big-Brokenstraw, 
on  lands  belonging  to  Luther  P.  Mather  and  Capt.  Curtis  ;  and 
besides  the  buildings  already  mentioned,  there  v/as  a  building 
erected  for  a  public  house,  another  for  a  store,  and  shops  for 
a  blacksmith,  shoemaker,  wagon-maker,  and  some  other  me- 
chanics. 

After  I  had  had  sufficient  time  to  view  the  country,  and 
become  acquainted  with  its  relative  position  in  regard  to  the 
market  places,  and  the  other  surrounding  towns  and  settle- 
ments, my  friends  inquired  how  I  liked  it,  and  whether  or 
not  1  felt  disposed  to  accept  of  their  offer.  I  told  them  I  liked 
the  country  well ;  and  although  I  was  sensible  it  would  sub- 
ject me  to  many  hardships  and  privations  which,  in  all  prob- 
ability, I  might  avoid  by  accepting  either  of  the  other  calls  I 
had  already  received  from  other  societies,  nevertheless,  I  felt 
disposed  to  accept  of  their  proposal,  inasmuch  as  I  had  three 
sons  whom  I  wished  to  make  farmers,  if  I  could  excite  in. 
them  a  taste  for  it ;  and  I  would  use  my  best  endeavors  to  dis- 
pose of  what  little  property  I  had  at  the  east,  and  remove  my 
family  among  them.  The  man  who  accompanied  me  was  so 
well  pleased  with  the  country,  and  the  location  of  the  contem- 
plated village,  that  he  purchased  a  village  lot,  with  a  deter- 


360  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

mination  to  settle  there.     He  was  a  mechanic — a  cabinet- 
maker. 

We  returned  home ;  and,  in  the  course  of  a  few  months,  I 
had  an  opportunity  to  dispose  of  my  little  place  in  Hamilton  ; 
and  I  then  began  in  earnest  to  make  preparations  to  leave  the 
State  of  New  York. 

The  following  winter,  in  company  with  my  eldest  son,  who 
had  then  become  of  age,  I  visited  my  venerable  mother  for 
the  last  time  ;  although  she  lived  seven  years  after  that  time. 
As  my  new  home  placed  mo  at  least  five  hundred  miles  from: 
her^  and  as,  before  her  death,  I  had  removed  to  the  State  of 
■Michigan,  three  hundred  miles  farther  from  her,  that  was 
the  last  time  I  saw  her. 

In  the  spring  following,  Mr.  Porter,  the  man  who  accom- 
panied me  to  Brokenstraw,  removed  thither,  and  my  eldest 
son  went  with  him.  It  required  the  ensuing  summer  for  me 
to  settle  my  affairs,  and  make  the  necessary  preparations  for 
removal;  and,  on  the  first  of  September,  all. things  were  in 
readiness.  Previously  to  my  removal,  however,  I  prevailed 
on  the  church  and  society  in  Hamilton  to  authorize  me,  be- 
fore I  left  them,  to  give  some  one  of  our  preachers  a  call  to 
settle  with  them,  being  aware  of  the  probability  at  least,  if  I  left 
them  in  their  present  state  of  feeling,  destitute  of  preaching,, 
they  would  sink  down  into  such  a  condition  of  coldness  and 
apathy,  as  would  result  in  their  disorganization  and  deaths 
from  which  they  might  never  recover  ;  and  as  the  society  in 
Madison  was  destitute  of  preaching,  I  persuaded  them  to  unite 
with  the  society  in  Hamilton  in  giving  a  preacher  a  call  who- 
should  serve  both  societies.  I  named  several  preachers  who. 
I  believed,  might  bo  obtained,  and,  from  the  number,  they  se- 
lected Mr.  John  Freeman,  of  Saratoga.  I  wrote  to  him,  in- 
forming him  of  the  wishes  of  the  two  societies,  and  requested 
an  immediate  answer,  so  that  in  case  of  his  refusal  1  might 
make  another  application,  as  1  very  much  wanted  to  see  a 
preacher  settled  with  them  before  my  removal.  But,  instead 
of  writing,  he  made  us  a  personal  visit,  preached  at  least 
one  Sabbath  to  each  society,  besides  some  lectures  ;  and  gave 
such  satisfaction,  that  they  enga-ged  his  services,  and  made 
immediate  preparations  for  the  removal  of  his  family.  This 
relieved  my  mind  of.very  serious,  and  even  burdensome  so- 
licitude. I  felt  extremely  reluctant  to  leave  them  in  that  di^ 
7ided  and  lukewarm  state,  with  no  one  to  break  to  them  the 
bread  of  life.     They  had  grown  up  imder  nay  feeble  minis^ 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  361 

try,  and  I  felt  for  them  the  solicitude  of  a  father  for  his  be- 
loved children.  And,  although  the  separation,  at  best,  was  a 
sore  trial,  the  sting  Avas  greatiy  blunted,  when  I  obtained  the 
assurance  they  would  not  be  left  destitute  ;  but  would  enjoy 
the  benefits  of  the  labors  of  one  who  would,Uf  within  the 
power  of  man  to  accomplish  it,  soothe  the  asperity  of  their 
feelings,  and  heal  the  unhappy  division  which  was  sapping 
the  foundation  of  their  peace  :  And  Mr.  Freeman  did  so,  cer- 
tainly  to  a  very  great  extent,  and  the  society  flourished  under 
his  ministry  while  he  lived  with  them  ;  but,  alas  !  he  "  fin- 
ished  his  work,"  and  closed  his  valuable  and  useful  life  in 
their  midst,  in  less  than  four  years  from  his  settlement  with 
them. 

The  time  for  my  leaving  Hamilton  at  length  arrived,  all 
necessary  preparations  were  made,  and  the  trying  hour  of 
of  separation  came.  On  the  last  Sabbath  I  met  with  them, 
the  house,  and  to  a  great  extent  the  surrounding  common,  were 
densely  crowded  ;  a  window  was  taken  from  the  house,  and 
my  pulpit  embraced  the  aperture  thus  formed.  In  the  morn- 
ing, I  addressed  the  youth,  from  2d  Tim.,  3 :  14,  15  ;  and,  in 
the  afternoon,  the  church  and  society,  from  Acts  20  :  27.  At 
the  close  of  the  meeting,  my  friends  crowded  around  me,  and 
even  those  who  had  forsaken  my  meetings,  Mr.  H.  among 
them,  and  wept  like  children.  The  scene  nearly  overpow- 
ered  my  fortitude  ;  but  the  die  was  cast,  and,  on  the  eleventh 
day  of  September,  1830,  with  all  my  family,  I  bade  adieu  to 
Hamilton,  where  I  had  resided  twenty-two  years  and  five 
months  ;  and,  on  the  29th  day  of  the  same  month,  we  arrived 
iu  the  town  of  Columbus,  Warren  county,  commonwealth  of 
Pennsylvania. 

My  son,  who  had  j^receded  us,  had  purchased  a  village  lot, 
cleared  off  the  timber,  and  erected  a  frame  and  partly  enclos- 
ed it  for  a  small  dwelling-house.  We  finished  this  with  as 
much  despatch  as  possible,  so  far  as  to  make  it  habitable  for 
the  winter,  and  removed  our  family  into  it.  1  now  selected 
my  hundred-acre  lot,  which  they  gave  me  the  privilege  of  do- 
ing from  any  of  the  Holland  company's  unsold  lands,  or  any 
l^nd  belonging  to  Capt.  Curtis ;  and  1  made  a  selection  of  a 
good  lot,  within  one  mile  of  the  village,  from  the  company's 
land.  In  addition  to  this,  and  over  "and  above  the  donation 
the  society  had  made  mo,  Capt!  Curtis  gave  me  one  of  the  best 
village  lots  his  possession  afforded,  adjoining  my  son's  lot,  on 
which  1  erected  a  barn  that  fall.     We  were,  therefore,  soon 


362  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

settled  in  our  new  habitation,  with  all  the  comforts  a  new- 
country  could  furnish  around  us,  and  should  have  felt  a  con- 
tentment,  and  indeed  a  happine^,  which  the  broils  and  con- 
fusion  arising  from  the  excited  state  of  society  we  had  left, 
rendered  impossible,  had  it  not  been  for  the  sickness  of  my 
wife.  But  either  before  we  left  Hamilton,  or  on  our  way 
thither  through  the  unhealthy  part  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
which  lay  in  our  way,  she  imbibed  the  incipient  elements  of 
the  ague  and  fever,  (a  disease  wholly  unknown  in  Columbus,) 
and  on  our  arrival  was  immediately  taken  down  with  it,  and 
which  prostrated  her  nearly  three  months. 

One,  and  no  inconsiderable  object  in  my  estimation,  which 
I  had  in  view  in  removing  to  Columbus,  aside  from  getting  a 
farm  for  my  sons,  (which  I  never  could  have  procured  the 
means  to  purchase  in  the  country  from  which  I  removed.)  was 
to  lessen  my  own  travels,  which  had  heretofore  uniformly 
kept  me  from  my  home  and  family.  I  supposed  1  could  nurse 
up  a  society  in  this  place  ;  and  I  designed  to  confine  my  la- 
bors principally  or  solely  to  them,  while  I  assisted  my  boys 
in  improving  and  cultivating  a  farm,  which  should  afford  us 
sufficient  sources  of  subsistence.  And  the  almost  impossibil- 
ity  of  traveling  in  this  country  would  certainly  favor  my  ob- 
ject— the  excessive  badness  of  the  roads  would  afford  sufficient 
excuse  for  declining  to  make  appointments  abroad.  Our 
friends  immediately'took  steps  to  organize  a  society  ;  and  the 
ensuing  season  a  church,  consisting  of  about  twenty  members, 
was  also  organized. 

We  made  every  possible  arrangement  during  the  winter, 
to  commence  making  improvements  on  our  farm-lot  the  ensu- 
ing spring.  My  eldest  son,  although  of  age,  and  a  mechanic, 
agreed  to  lay  aside  his  trade,  at  least  fqf  a  season,  and  take 
hold  with  the  rest  of  us  until  we  could  get  our  farm  in  a  state' 
of  cultivation;  and  1  would  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  calls  for 
preaching  if  any  were  made  from  abroad,  and  lay  off  the  cler- 
ical crarb"  mostly,  and  be  captain  of  my  little  band  of  labor- 
ers. But  notwithstanding  my  firmly  fixed  resolutions  of  self- 
ishness, my  assumed  stoicism  to  the  condition  of  others ;  in 
despite  of  the  almost  impassableness  of  the  roads  through  all 
that  country,  and  the  excessive  fatigue  and  even  danger  in 
travelincr  over  them,  1  could  not  steel  my  heart  against  the 
pathetic'calls  for  the  preached  word,  by  souls  famishing  for 
the  bread  of  life. 

There  was  only  one  preacher  of  our  order  in  all  that  ex- 


LIFE    OF    REV.  NATHANIEL    STACY.  S6^ 

tensive  country,  including  Chautauque  and  Cattaraugus  coun- 
ties in  New  York-,  and  all  Pennsylvania  west  of  the  Allegany 
mountains,  and  that  was  Mr.  L.  C.  Todd,  who  resided,  I  think, 
at  that  time  in  the  town  of  Chautauque.  I  might  have  ex- 
cepted Mr.  Todd's  father,  who  then  resided  near  him,  and  who 
was  in  fellowship  with  our  denomination,  but  who  had  preach- 
ed very  little,  if  any,  for  several  years.  There  had  been 
other  preachers  in  Chautauque  county  ;  Mr.  S.  R.  Smith  had 
itinerated  in  the  western  part  of  the  county  in  an  early  day 
of  his  ministry  ;  Mr.  Alfred  Peck  had  once  resided  there,  and 
and  an  Associarion  had  once  been  organized;  but  all  the 
preachers  except  Mr.  Todd  had  left  the  country,  the  societies 
all,  or  nearly  all,  had  become  disbanded,  and  the  Association 
had  not  hefd  a  meeting  for  several  years.  Mr.  T.  was,  at 
that  time,  though  possessed  of  sterling  talents  and  sound  ar- 
guments, rather  a  cold  preacher,  and  manifested  no  zeal  for 
religious  organization  or  order  of  any  kind,  and  very  little 
for  the  advancement  of  the  cause.  I  was  compelled  to  stop 
and  give  them  a  meeting  in  Jamestown,  and  another  in  Busti, 
at  the  time  of  my  removal,  before  I  reached  Columbus ;  and 
they  extracted  a  promise  from  me,  to  visit  them  again  as  soon 
as  I  could  make  it  convenient  after  getting  well  settled  in  my 
new  habitation.  While  on  my  first  visit  to  that  country,  1  had 
delivered  a  single  lecture  in  Warren,  our  county  seat ;  and 
while  at  Erie  after  our  furniture,  which  we  sent  by  water  to 
that  place,  I  found  an  individual  who  had  heard  me  preach 
in  Madison  county ;  and  he  extorted  a  promise  from  me  to 
make  him  a  visit  at  some  future  day,  and  deliver  a  lecture  in 
that  borough.  The'news  that  a  Universalist  preacher  had 
removed  into  the  country  was  soon  circulated  in  every  direc- 
tion ;  and  as  individuals  of  our  faith  were  scattered  promiscu- 
ously over  it,  in  nearly  every  town  in  the  counties  of  Erie, 
Crawford,  and  Venango,  in  Pennsylvania,  as  well  as  Chau- 
tauque and  Cattaiaugus,  in  New  York,  before  I 'could  fliirly 
get  rested  from  the  fatigues  of  removal,  and  my  family  settled 
in  their  new  home,  the  most  earnest,  plaintive,  and  pathetic 
solicitations  to  "come  over  and  help  us,"  were  borne,  as  it 
were,  on  the  "  wings  of  every  wind."  How  could  I  resist 
those  appeals  ?  It  was  not  in  my  nature  to  do  it.  I  loved 
mankind,  and  I  loved  the  cause  too  well  to  resist  them.  And, 
notwithstanding  the  firm  resolution  1  had  made,  not  to  listen 
to  calls  from  abroad,  but  to  pursue  my  secular  concerns — 
notwithstanding  the  infirmities  of  age  which  1  felt  fast  creep- 


364  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

ing  on,  and  the  fatigues  I  must  encounter,  ])y  day  and  by 
night,  before  the  year  rolled  its  round  it  found  me  traveling 
at  least  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  a  month,  over  roads  that 
vrould  make  a  man's  bones  ache  to  look  at,  to  fulfil  my  regu- 
lar engagements  ;  besides  diverging  at  almost  every  corner  to 
attend  casual  lectures  ;  and,  within  the  year,  societies  were 
organized  in  Columbus,  in  the  borough  of  Warren,  in  Oil 
Creek  township,  Crawford  county.  Mill  Creek  township,  Erie 
county,  and  respectable  congregations  collected  in  many 
other  places. 

But  we  had  trials  awaiting  us,  more  poignant  and  heart- 
rending than  any  we  had  ever  yet  been  called  to  experience. 
When  we  removed  to  Columbus,  our  family  consisted  of  eight 
children,  three  sons  and  five  daughters.  We  had  alwavsbeen 
highly  favored  on  account  of  sickness  among  our  children  ; 
they  generally  possessed  good  constitutions;  and,  as  we  at 
least  thought,  were  quite  as  promising  as  families  in  general. 
Death  had  never  made  inroads  upon  our  family,  and  we  look- 
ed forward  with  pleasing  anticipations  to  the  time  when  we 
should  see  them  all  settled  around  us  in  this  new  but  improv- 
ing country,  and  in  the  decline  of  life  realize  their  social  and 
sustaining  influence.  But,  alas !  how  uncertain  are  all  our 
earthl)^  blessings,  how  fragile  the  foundation  of  all,  our  tem- 
poral hopes,  and  how  soon  our  fondest  anticipations  may  be 
blasted  !  In  one  short  day,  we  were  plunged  from  this  envi- 
able eminence  to  the  depth  of  darkness,  and  almost  despair! 
On  the  morning  of  the  14th  of  May,  1831,  the  spring  after 
our  removal  to  Columbus,  I  directed  my  two  youngest  sons  to 
remove  some  lumber  sixty  or  seventy  rods,  to  a  place  where 
we  were  erecting  a  school-house ;  part  of  the  boards  were  in 
the  saw-mill,  and  while  in  the  act  of  taking  them  away,  my 
youngest  son,  then  in  his  fifteenth  year,  fell  through  a  hole 
broken  in  the  floor  the  preceding  day,  into  a  floom,  called  the 
bull-wheel  floom,  containing  about  eight  feet  of  water ;  and 
that  beloved  child,  who,  in  the  morning,  was  as  healthy,  as 
cheerful,  as  full  of  hope,  of  life,  of  activity,  as  any  child 
of  his  age  ever  could  be,  was  a  cold  corpse  before  the  sun  had 
sunk  behind  the  western  hills.  He  was  taken  from  the 
water,  and  resuscitated  so  as  to  breathe  freely ;  but  his  rea- 
son— his  senses  returned  not ;  a  few  incoherent  words  were 
all  he  uttered  ;  all  means  to  get  any  thing  into  his  stomach 
were  resisted,  and  he  shortly  sunk  into  a  stupor  from  which 
he  never  revived.     There  was  a  beam  over  the  floom  imme- 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.'  865 

diately  under  the  hole  through  which  he  fell,  on  which  it  is 
supposable  he  must  have  struck,  and  received  some  undiscov- 
ered injury  ;  for  th<j  instance  of  one  being  taken  from  the 
water,  and  ^tlteii  dying  in  the  manner  he  did,  I  know  not  to  be 
recorded  on  the  page  of  history. 

Tiiat  was  a  stroke  I  found  myself  ill  prepared  to  bear. 
He  was  the  hope  of  my  declining  years,  the  statF  on  M'hich  I 
anticipated  leaning  my  faltering  steps  as  I  approached  the 
grave.  It  came  upon  me  with  such /brc*e — so  sudden,  so  un- 
expected— that  it  seemed  like  the  breaking  up  of  the  founda- 
tion of  creation — like  the  crash  of  worlds — the  heavens  seem- 
ed shrouded  in  gloom,  and  angry  thunders  growled  their  ap- 
proaching peals — the  vernal  season  was  clothed  in  sackcloth, 
and  the  feathered  songsters  uttered  dirges  of  inconsolable  woe 
— I  slipped  ;  but  my  feet  struck,  and  remained  steadfast  upon 
the  "Rock  of  ages" — 1  tottered  and  reeled,  but  the  hand  of 
infinite  mercy  caught,  and  sustained  me  ere.ct.  Oh,  where 
should  I  have  found  consolation,  had  it  not  been  for  the  sus- 
taining power  of  that  faith  which  embraces  a  God  of  infinite, 
unchangeable  wisdom,  power,  and  love-,  and  a  life  of  immor- 
tal blessedness  for  all  the  posterity  of  Adam,  "through  the 
redemption  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus."  It  now  appears  tome, 
that  unutterable  despair  and  raving  madness  must  have  been 
my  inevitable  doom.  But  God,  in  mercy,  smiled  upon  me 
from  behind  the  howling  tempest,  cleared  the  skies  at  length, 
restored  peace  to  my  soul,  confirmed  my  confidence  anew, 
and  by  this  tremendous  stroke  drew  me  still  nearer  to  him, 
to  take  shelter  under  the  wing  of  his  divine  protection,  and 
enkindled  a  more  ardent  zeal  for  the  cause  of  his  truth. 

With  mournful  and  smitten  hearts,  we  pursued  our  contem- 
plated object  with  as  much  engagedness  as  we  could  com- 
mand ;  but  my  zeal  for  temporal  enterprise  was  essentially 
checked,  and  a  gloom  hung  around  every  improvement  I  had 
before  contemplated  in  such  glowing  colors.  We,  however, 
made  some  improvement  on  our  farm-lot,  and  erected  a  house 
on  our  village-lot ;  and,  during  the  summer  following,  we 
continued  to  exert  ourselves  to  enlarge  our  improvements  on 
our  farm,  until  we  had  between  twenty  and  thirty  acres  under 
cultivation,  and  a  house  and  barn  erected  thereon.  In  the 
mean  time,  my  eldest  son  married,  and  settled  on  the  farm  ; 
but,  after  remaining  something  more  than  a  year  on  it,  he  be- 
came tired  of  ^rming,  and  chose  again  to  return  to  his  trade. 


This  left  me  with  a  single  son,  seventeen  years  of  age,  sma] 


366  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

In  stature,  being  only  ;  about  my  size  who,  although  a  faithful 
and  good  boy  to  work,  appeared  unequal  to  the  Herculean 
task  of  grappling  with  the  mighty  forest  which  covered  the 
]ot,  and,  single-handed,  convert  it  into  a  "  fruitful  field."'  I 
Iherefore  requested  him  to  take  it  into  serious  consideration  ; 
and  if  the  result  was,  that  he.would  choose  to  follow  farming, 
we  would  try  to  finish  paying  for  the  lot — the  society,  not- 
withstanding their  engagements  with  me,  were  unable  to  ful- 
fil all  their  stipulations— and  I  would  help  him  all  I  was  able 
to  bring  it  into  a  state  of  profitable  cultivation  ;  but,  if  he  chose 
some  profession,  we  would  sell  the  farm  the  first  opportunity, 
and  I  would  help  him  all  I  was  able.  He  weighed  the  sub- 
ject according  to  his  judgment,  and  came  to  the  latter  conclu- 
sion. Before  leaving  Hamilton,  he  had  enjoyed  some  privi- 
lege in  the  academy  in  that  town  ;  I  now  sent  him  to  the 
academy  in  the  borough  of  Erie  for  a  season.  On  my  remo- 
val to  Michigan,  in  1835,  he  accompanied  me,  and  entered 
upon  the  study  of  law,  which  he  completed  while  there,  and 
received  admittance  at  the  bar  before  we  returned  again  to 
Pennsylvania.     But  to  return  from  this  digression. 

It  is  an  old  remark,  that  misfortune  and  trouble  never  come 
alone ;  and  my  experience,  in  those  days,  abundantly  attests 
the  truthfulness  of  the  observation.  I  was  soon  called  to  part 
with  one  of  the  most  efficient  and  faithful  friends  I  was  ever 
blessed  with  in  mortal  man.  Capt.  David  Curtis  was  the  ef- 
ficient instrument  of  my  removal  into  this  country.  He 
stood  at  the  head  of  our  little  society,  and,  as  it  were,  was 
the  temporal  foundation  of  its  prosperity.  He  had  the  right 
of  the  disposal  of  the  land  I  had  selected,  but  designed  to 
make  no  writings  in  regard  to  it,  until  the  money  was  all  col- 
lected, so  that  the  land  could  be  procured  at  cash  price,  which 
was  two  dollars  per  acre  ;  whereas,  to  article  the  land  would 
add  one  third  to  the  price.  While  the  land  was  in  his  hands 
we  considered  it  perfectly  safe,  and  with  the  assurance  of  se- 
curity from  his  word,  I  went  on  to  it  and  made  the  improve- 
ments above  named.  But  it  pleased  the  alhvise  Disposer  of 
events,  in  the  inscrutable  disposition  of  his  government,  to 
remove  him  from  the  society  of  his  earthly  friends,  and  bring 
another  deep,  dark  cloud  over  the  sunshine  of  our  joys.  He 
sickened  in  the  spring  of  1832,  and  in  the  month  of  July,  that 
year,  he  left  these  sublunary  and  mortal  shores  for  a  brighter 
world  and  a  more  exalted  life.  But  notwith^nding  he  was 
jn  the  vigor  of  manhood,  having  seen  but  forty-six  A'ears,  a 


LIFE    OF    REV.  NATHANIEL    STACY.  367 

mall  of  indomitable  perseverance  and  enterprise,  had  accu- 
mulated a  property  in  this  new  location,  by  his  own  industry, 
worth  fourteen  or  fifteen  thousand  dollars,  and  contemplated 
great  improvement  in  the  country,  and  in  his  village  in  par- 
ti<!ular — had  a  beloved  companion,  and  a  large  family  of  young 
and  dependent  children  ;  still  he  complained  not  of  the  deal- 
ings of  his  heavenly  Father,  nor  repined  at  the  hour  of  ap- 
proaching dissolution  whio'h  he  perfectly  realized  ;  but  trust- 
ing in  God,  with  a  well-established  faith  in  the  Son  of  his 
love,  and  a  well-grounded  hope  in  the  ultimate  purity  and 
happiness  of  all  moral  intelligences,  he  met  his  end  with  the 
most  perfect  cheerfulness — called  his  afflicted  family  around 
him  but  a  few  moments  beforejie  breathed  his  last,  gave  them 
a  husband's  and  a  father's  counsel  and  blessing— and  then 
requesting  to  be  laid  in  the  middle  of  his  bed,  that  he  might 
freely  stretch  his  limbs,  in  two  or  three  minutes,  without  a 
struggle  or  a  groan,  yielded  up  his  spirit  to  God  who  gave 
it.  Oh,  how  blessed  is  that  faith  which  can  thus  reconcile 
the  soul  to  God,  and  illuminate  its  passage  through  the  "  val- 
ley of  the  shadow  of  death." 

But  this  dispensation  left  me  under  embarrassments.  My 
friends  had  subscribed  a  sufficient  sum  to  pay  for  the  land 
they  donated  to  me,  could  it  have  been  purchased  at  cash 
price,  which  was  their  intention  and  expectation  ;  and  part 
of  the  subscriptions  had  already  been  paid  into  the  hands  of 
Capt.  Curtis  ;  I,  with  his  responsibility,  had  made  several 
hundred  dollars'  worth  of  improvements  upon  the  land.  But 
now  I  was  liable  to  have  the  land  sold  out  from  under  me,  at. 
any  moment,  without  any  guaranty  for  what  had  been  paid  ; 
or  for  the  improvements  I  had  made  upon  it;  and  there  was 
no  way  of  safety  now,  but  to  pay  for  the  land  without  delay, 
or  take  an  article  from  the  general  agent.  The  first  was  be- 
yond my  power  without  help  from  the  society;  and  that  help 
the  society  could  not  afford^ithen :  the  latter,  therefore,  was 
the  only  feasible  course.  What  money  had  already  been  col- 
lected and  paid  into  the  hands  of  Capt.  Curtis,  was  paid  ovef 
to  the  general  agent,  and  I  took  an  article  for  the  land,  which 
gave  me  eight  years  to  pay  the  remainder,  with  the  addition 
of  one  dollar  upon  an  acre  from  the  cash  price.  And  this 
was  all  that  was  ever  paid  by  me,  or  for  nie,  for  the  land  ; 
for  before  the  time  had  r)alf  expired,  I  sold  my  betterments 
and  transferred  the  article  to  the  pu releaser.. 

These  bereavements  and  disappointments,  severely  as  I  felt 


368  MEMOIRS. 

them,  did  not,  however,  produce  the  least  inclination  to  relin- 
quish or  relax  my  ministerial  labors,  but  rather  spurred  me 
on  with  additional  zeal  ;  for  in  this  alone  I  found  my  solace 
and  my  spiritual  support.  The  more  the  world  frowned — 
the  more  its  atmosphere  darkened,  its  proffered  blessin;[rs 
vanished,  and  the  fracrile  foundation  of  its  hopes  trembled, 
the  brighter  did  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  shine  above  the 
work  of  death — the  more  glorious  did  the  imperishable  foun- 
dation of  eternal  realities  display  itself,  and  '•  durable  riches 
and  righteousness"  present  themselves  to  my  eager  grasp. 

Soon  after  my  removal  into  this  country,  Mr.  L.  C.  Todd 
removed  to  the  village  of  Jamestown,  and  issued  a  prospectus 
for  a  periodical,  to  be  published  weekly,  in  that  village,  de- 
voted to  the  cause  of  Universalism,  and  to  be  entitled  "  The 
Genius  of  Lihcrly.^^  The  ultimate  fate  of  that  paper,  and 
the  course  which  Mr.  Todd  pursued,  are  too  well  known  to 
need  further  notice  in  these  memoirs.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that 
Mr.  Todd's  mental  and  religious  aberrations  were  of  but  few 
years"  duration  ;  and  though  the  trial  was  a  severe  one  to 
him,  and  very  painful  to  his  friends,  it  was,  nevertheless,  at- 
tended  with  a  happy  result.  He  is  now  more  firmly  estab- 
lished  in  the  faith  of  the  Great  Salvation,  more  zealous  in  the 
cause,  more  devoted  to  useful  order  and  ordinances,  and 
Avholesome  discipline — and  is  again  enrolled  in  the  family  of 
the  faithful,  a  better  preacher  and  a  better  man  than  he  was 
before  he  passed  through  this  "  furnace  of  affliction." 

After  Mr.  Todd  commenced  publishing  his  paper,  I  used 
all  the  influence  I  had  with  him,  to  argue  upon  a  suitable 
time  and  place,  and  give  notice  througli  the  medium  of  his 
paper,  for  a  grand  conference  meeting  of  our  brethren  and 
friends,  with  a  view  to  revive  the  Chautauque  Association. 
But  although  he  did  not  directly  oppose  such  a  meeting,  he 
manifested  no  interest  in  it.  He  would  put  me  off,  from  time 
to  time  ;  and,  indeed,  never  foutd  leisure,  nor  opportunity  to 
attend  to  it.  -His  time  was  wholly  occupied  in  teaching  a  se- 
lect school  and  publishing  his  paper.  He  preached  but  little 
in  Jamestown,  or  elsewhere  ;  and  seemed  to  feel  no  farther 
interest  in  the  cause  than  what  was  immediately  connected 
with  his  publication.  There  was  no  other  preacher  in  all 
that  country  with  whom  I  could  co/ifer ;  and  to  assume  the 
whole  responsibility  of  appointing  such  a  meeting  myself,  was 
a  step  I  felt  diffident  about  taking  ;  and  therefore  deferred  it 
until  Mr.  Todd  and  his  periodical  both  ceased  to  be  organs  of 
our  denomination. 


CHAPTER  XVI, 


Prosperity  of  the  cause  in  Hamilton  under  Mr.  Freeman— Erection  of  a 
mc<5ting-housc— Visit  to  Hamilton— Central  Association— Greeting  of  old 
friends— Brother  H. ;  his  change  of  feelings  and  confession — Dedication — 
Visits  among  friends— Meetings  during  the  tour,  and  prosperity  of  the  cause 
Mr.  Bond  removes  to  Carroll— Mr.  J.  E.  Holmes  to  Westfield— Confer- 
ence in  Carroll — Resuscitation  of  the  Chautauque  Association — Heavy 
affliction — Death  of  a  beloved  daughter — A  scrap — Tour  to  Ohio — 
Western  Reserve  Association— Meetings'  in  several  tovpns — Chautauque 
Association — Circuit  proposed — Mr.  W.  E.  Manley — Cb-cuit  conference- 
Tour  for  establishment  of  circuit — Administration  of  Capt.  D.  Curtis'  es- 
tate— Tour  to  Virginia — Voyage  on  a  raft — Visit  to  Marietta,  O. — Intro- 
duction— Meeting— Visit  to  relatives  up  the  Muskingum — ^To  Belpre' — Mr. 
Chappel — -Meetings — 'Sunday  at  McConnelsville — Return  journey — 'Meet- 
ing at  Seaver,  Pa. — Arrival  home — Call  from  Michigan — Tour — Passage 
up  the  Lake — Detroit- Ann  Arbor-Society — Meeting-house — Reception — 
Meetings — General  appearance  of  the  country — Engagement — Return — 
Close  of  executorship — Removal  to  Michigan — Journey  through  Ohio— 
Stoma — Steam-boat  voyage — Arrival  at  Detroit — At  Ann  Arbor — State 
©f  society  in  Michigan ;  habits  and  institutions — Two  Universalist  preacb- 
«^,  A.  H.  Curtis  and  Thomas  Wheeler — Lectures  in  different  places — Or- 
ganization of  association— Preachers  present — Church  organized — Interest- 
ing anecdote  of  the  conversion  of  Deacon  John  Williams — His  sickness 
and  trial  of  faith — The  church  approves  of  his  public  improvements — Re- 
ceives a  letter  of  fellowship  from  the  association — Opposition  of  the  clergy 
-Invitation  for  a  discussion- Address  to  the  clergy — Article  pubhshed  in  the 
"  State  Journal"  and  "  Michigan  Argus" — Rev.  Mr.  Marks'  article — His 
second  article — Reply — Course  of  lectures. 

I  have  already  had  the  pleasure  of  recording  that  the  soci- 
ety in  Hamilton,  after  I  left  them,  prospered  under  the  labors 
of  Mr.  Freeman.  As  I  had  fondly  anticipated,  he  had  the 
unspeakable  happiness  of  calming  the  asperities  of  their 
jFeeiings,  in  a  vei^  great  measure,  and  of  reuniting  them  m 

X 


;5*0  ME5IOIR3    OF    THE 

one  congregation.  His  meetings  were  well  attended,  and  m- 
ditions  v/ere  made  to  his  congregations,  until  the  "  place  be- 
came too  strait"  for  them  ;  and  their  old  house,  too,  becoming, 
dilapidated  and  unfit  for  use,  they  were  really  under  the  m^ 
cessity  of  providing  a  more  ample  temple  for  the  serviceW 
God.  They  therefore  purchased  a  handsome  lot  in  the  cen- 
ter of  the  town,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  their  former 
place  of  worship,  and  erected  a  convenient  meeting-house  i 
and  both  pastor,  church,  and  people  united  with  one  voice  in  aa 
earnest  appeal  and  request  for  me  to  attend  its  dedication, 
and  deliver  the  dedicatory  sermon. 

This  arrangement  gratified  me  ;  although  I  never  approved 
of  the  practice  of  sending  for  another  preacher  to  dedicate 
a  church  where  a  society  had  a  settled  pastor  ;  still  I  wasf 
(^ratified  with  this  call  on  two  accounts ;  one  was,  it  would 
afford  me  an  opportunity  of  visiting  a  people  in  whose  pros- 
perity I  felt  deeply  interested — whose  happiness  was  insepar- 
able from  my  own ;  and  another  was,  it  afforded  me  an  evi- 
dence of  attachment  and  confidence  on  their  part,  which  the 
unhallowed  excitement,  that  had  been  a  princi|>al  cause  of 
our  separation,  had  not  utterly  destroyed.  I  apprehended 
that  i  fully  understood  their  feelings,  and  appreciated  their 
motives  in  calling  for  me.  It  was  not  for  the  sake  of  procu- 
ring brilliant  talents,  or  making  a  display  of  great  pulpit  elo- 
quence on  the  occasion  ;  for  had  this  been  their  object,  be- 
sides their  pastor,  there  were  numbers  of  others  much  nearer 
them  than  myself,  with  whose  superior  endowments  they  were 
well  acquainted.  But  they  had  a  more  noble  feeling  to  gra- 
tify, and  a  more  commendable  object  to  accomplish.  From 
my  lips  they,  or  the  most  of  them,  had  received  the  very  first 
intimations  of  the  existence  of  that  glorious  truth  that  had 
freed  their  souls  from  the  bondage  of  darkness  ;  and  they 
had  sat  under  my  ministry  for  years,  feeble  as  it  was,  until 
they  had  acquired  the  strength  of  men.  These  circumstan- 
ces had  produced  an  attachment  not  easily  obliterated,  and 
which  neither  the  untoward  events  that  had  separated  us,  nor 
time,  nor  distance,  had  effaced  or  weakened.  It  was  to  grat- 
ify these  feelings  of  friendship,  to  assure  me  of  their  abiding 
existence,  and  show  to  the  v/orld  their  unimpaired  confidence, 
that  led  them  to  call  for  me  to  dedicate  their  house  of  wor- 
ship. And  a  reciprocation  of  these  feelings  and  sentiments, 
)ed  me  as  cheerfully  and  as  readily  to  comply  with  their 
call. 


LIFE   OF    EEV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  371 

My  wife  must  accompany  me  on  this  tour ;  for  her  attach- 
ment to  the  people  and  the  place  was  certainly  as  strong  as 
mine,  and  was  as  faithfully  reciprocated  by  our  friends  in  that 
country. 

About  the  middle  of  May,  1833,  we  left  home  to  answer 
this  call ;  and  traveling  by  stage  and  canal,  with  making 
some  stops  on  the  way  to  hold  meetings,  we  arrived  in  Ham- 
ilton just  in  season  to  attend  the  Central  Association,  holden 
in  that  town  on  the  first  Wednesday  and  Thursday  in  June. 
On  Tuesday  evening  we  stopped  with  a  friend  in  our  old 
oeighborhood,  and  early  on  the  next  morning  repaired  to  the 
house  where  the  council  were  to  greet,  eager  to  meet  our  well- 
remembered  and  long -cherished  friends  ;  and  among  the  ear- 
liest on  the  ground  was  my  old  Brother  H.,  of  whom  I  have 
been  obliged  so  often  to  speak,  who,  without  being  able  to  ut- 
ter a  syllable,  clasped  me  in  his  arms  and  wept  like  an  infant. 

He  was,  like  the  man  among  the  tombs,  again  "  clothed  in 
his  right  mind" — clothed  in  tlie  -  beautiful  garments"  of 
Christian  meekness  and  humility,  and  had  the  same  "  mind  in 
him  which  was  in  Christ  Jesus."  Oh,  this  was  to  me  a  hap- 
py meeting  !  and  it  was  on  this  visit  that  he  made  the  con- 
fession that  I  have  before  mentioned. 

The  dedication  of  their  meeting-house  took  place  on  the 
*27th  of  June.  The  house  was  well  filled  on  the  occasion  ; 
and  Mr.  Potter,  Mr.  Freeman,  and  some  others,  assisted  in  the 
services  of  the  consecration.  Great  solemnity  prevailed, 
much  sensibility  was  manifest ;  but  none,  probably,  felt  the 
solemnity  of  the  scene,  or  were,  deeply  interested,  as  my- 
,5elf.  I  had  seen  this  society  in  its  infancy  struggling  for  ex- 
istence, amidst  sneers,  scoffs,  derisions,  and  persecutions.  I 
had  seen  them  meet  in  a  little  band,  in  a  small  school-house, 
near  the  spot  where  now  they  had  erected  a  respectable  house 
of  worship,  while  the  proud  steeple  of  a  Presbyterian  meet- 
mg-house,  with  its  still  spiritually  prouder  inmates,  looked 
down  upon  them  with  every  demonstration  of  contempt.  I 
had  seen  them  struggle  on,  bearing  with  Christian  meekness 
all  this  contumely  and  persecution,  cheered  only  with  the 
conscious  assurance  of  the  divinity  of  the  truth  they  had 
embraced,  and  that  "  Truth  was  mighty,  and  would  prevail." 
i  had  witnessed  their  increasing,  and  the  decline  of  their 
proud  and  boasting  enemy,  until  the  scene  had  become  re- 
versed.    The  Presbyterian  church  had  gradually  dwindled 


372  MEMOIRS   OF   THE 

away,  until  they  were  no  longer  able  to  support  preaching-, 
and  their  house  was  forsaken  ;  while  the  '•  Fruit  of  a  hand- 
ful  of  corn  in  the  earth,  upon  the  top  of  the  mountain,  hac? 
been  made  to  shake  like  Lebanon — and  they  of  the  city  to 
flourish  like  grass  of  the  earth."  And  now  their  congrega- 
tion filled  a  house  of  respectable  dimensions,  the  fruit  of  their 
own  industry  ;  and  here  in  this  memorable  day,  they,  with 
Christian  meekness  and  fervor,  consecrated  this  pious  labor  of 
their  hands  to  the  God  they  loved,  and  dedicated  it  to  the  wor- 
siiip  of  Him  who  is  the  Father  of  the  spirits  of  all  flesll^and 
the  Savior  of  the  World. 

We  were  absent  from  home  on  this  tour  about  three  months, 
during  which  time  we  visited  many  of  those  dear  friends  with 
whom  we  had  spent  the  strength  of  our  days  ;  and  the  cordi- 
ality with  which  we  were  recsived,  gave  ample  testimony 
that  time  and  distance  impaired  not  the  strength  of  those  at- 
tachments consummated  in  the  morning  of  life. 

On  my  journey  eastward,  after  leaving  the  borough  of 
Erie,  I  delivered  lectures  in  RipTey,  W^estfield,  Fredonia,  and 
Silver  Creek,  Chautauque  county ;  preached  one  Sunday  in 
BuJETalo,  and  lectured  in  Lockport,  Rochester,  and  Perryville; 
and  during  our  stay  in  Central  New  York,^I  held  meetings  in 
a  large  number  of  the  towns  and  places  of  my  early  labors, 
besides  attending  two  associations,,  the  Central  and  the  Mo- 
hawk River.  And  the  advancement  of  the  cause — ^the  addi- 
tional societies  that  had  grown  up,  the  number  of  efficient 
laborers  who  had  entered  the  field,  and  the  numerous  meet- 
ing-houses that  had  been  erected,  alforded  cause  of  inexpres- 
sible gratification,  and  fervent  gratitude  and  thanksgiving  to 
Almighty  God.  "  A  little  one  had  become  a  thousand,  and 
a  small  one  a  strong  nation." 

It  was  while  I  was  absent  on  tjiis  eastern  tour,  that  Mr. 
Todd  renounced  Univer.salism,  wound  up  the  publication  of 
his  periodical,  and  withdrew  from  the  connection.  Not  long 
after  my  return  home,  Mr.  'A\ni  Bond  removed  into  Carroll ; 
and  Mr.  John  E.  Holmes,  a  young  man  of  very  promising 
talents,  from  Madison  county,  v.'ho  had  just  commenced  the 
ministry  of  reconciliation,  came  into  this  country,  and  soon 
became  established  in  W-stfield.  Therefore,  although  the 
defection  of  Mr;  Todd  left  me  alone  in  this  country,  it  pleas- 
ed Heaven,  in  a  very  few  weeks,  to  send  two  faithful  labor- 
ers to  occupy  the  field  which  he  had  abandoned. 


LIFE   OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  d73 

On  the  removal  of  Mr.  Bond  into  Carroll,  I  opened  a  cor- 
L'espondence  with  him  on  the  subject  of  taking  measures  to 
revive  the  Chautauque  Association;  he  very  cordially  ap- 
proved of  the  measure;  and  on  the  20th  of  February,  1834, 
a  general  meeting  was  holden  in  Carroll  for  that  purpose  ; 
and  from  that  time  to  the  present,  the  association  has  never 
failed  of  its  yearly  communications.  Encouraged  by  the  ad- 
ditional laborers  the  great  Husbandman  had  employed  in  this 
section  of  his  vineyard,  I  felt  under  renewed  obligations  to 
redouble  my  exertions  to  prune  and  dress  the  vines. 

But  clouds  and  sunshine  intervene  through  the  whole  day 
of  mortal  life ;  and  behind  the  fragrant  roses  which  bestrev/ 
■our  path,  the  sharp  thorn  is  ready  to  wound  our  flesh.  The 
ways  of  Heaven  are  inscrutable  to  us,  frail  mortals;  but  the 
voice  of  sovereign  wisdom  and  love  is  heard  above  the 
hoarse  bowlings  of  the  approaching  storm.  "  Be  still  and 
knoio  that  I  am  GodJ''  The  chastening  hand  of  a  provi- 
dent and  tender  Father  was  already  mingling  for  us  a  cup  of 
deep  affliction,  and  was  about  to  probe  to  the  bottom  an  un- 
healed and  incurable  wound.  Our  third  daughter — Oh  !  too 
much  our  idol — then  in  the  16ih  year  of  her  age,  after  a 
short  sickness,  not  exceeding  three  weeks,  on  the  23d  day  of 
March,  was  taken  from  our  arms !  But  we  enjoyed  the 
blessed  consolation  of  ministering,  as  far  as  parental  affection 
and  skill  could  minister,  to  her  every  possible  comfort — of 
witnessing  her  patient  resignation  to  the  Divine  will— of  re- 
ceiving from  her  dying  lips  the  last  seal  of  filial  affection — ■ 
and  of  beholding  her — -more  than  cheerful — her  triumphant 
deliverance  from  the  dominionof  death,  when  her  pufe  spirit 
wended  its  heavenward  way. 

But  notwithstanding  our  confidence  in  the  Divine  govern- 
ment—our unshaken  and  abiding  hope — our  knowledge,  and 
our  thankfulness  that  the  "  Heavens  do  rule" — notwithstand- 
ing the  sweet  consolation  that  her  dying  hour  afforded,  yet 
a  "  sword  pierced"  the  parents'  hearts,  inflicting  a  wound 
which  language  is  too  lean,  too  barren  to  describe ;  leaving 
a  sad,  an  awful  vacuum  therein,  which  time  can  never,  nev- 
er  fill.  Eternitynoniy — 'reunion  in  eternal  life,  can  alone 
Ileal  and  replenish  the  heart. 

I  had  been  with  numerous — with  hundreds  of  friends  in 
:«;easons  of  bereavement ;  I  had  seen  parents  bowing  with  in- 
4eiscribable  agony  over  the  pale  and  lifeless  forms  of  beloved 


374  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

children ;  I  verily  thought  I  could  feel  their  sorrow  of  hearty 
could  sympathise  in  their  sufferings — my  heart  has  been 
melted  into  compassion,  until  my  emotions  have  obstructed 
utterance.  I  have  appealed  to  the  Gospel  of  Christ  to  admin- 
ister consolation.  I  have  directed  their  attention  to  the  nume- 
rous evidences  of  the  "  Great  love  wherewith  God  loved 
us" — to  the  unchangeability  of  his  nature,  to  the  designs  of 
his  government,  to  the  merciful  tendency  of  his  chastenings. 
1  have  urged  the  strong,  overwhelming  evidences  of  future 
life,  the  destruction  of  sin  and  death,  and  the  reconciliation 
of  all  things  to  God.  I  have  appealed  with  pathos  to  the 
bleeding  Savior  on  the  Cross,  as  a  commendation  of  the  love  of 
God  to  sinners — ^to  his  triumphant  resurrection  from  the  dead, 
as  a  Divine  pledge  of  the  resurrection  of  our  whole  race, 
and  a  re-union  with  the  dearest  objects  of  our  hearts'  affec- 
tion. And  I  have,  upon  these  considerations,  fervently  ex- 
horted them  not  to  mourn.  But  never,  until  high  Heaven 
taught  me  by  sad  experience,  did  I  realize  the  feebleness,  and 
even  the  mockery,  of  such  exhortation.  But  now  have  I 
learned  that  it  is  my  privilege  to  mourn  ;  it  is  a  solace  I  would 
not  be  deprived  of  by  the  cruel  kindness  of  my  friends.  I 
would  not  murmur,  I  would  not  complain  of  the"  dealings  of 
Heaven — but  I  would  feel  my  bereavement, — I  would  appre- 
ciate my  loss — I  would  dwell  with  mournful  recollection,  each 
evening  and  each  morning,  upon  the  names  and  the  excellen- 
cies of  the  beloved  ones  I  can  behold  no  more. 

The  reader  will  surely  pardon  my  inserting  here  a  scrap> 
written  on  the  first  anniversary  of  the  death  of  my  beloved 
Mary  Adaline,  in  the  little  chamber  wJiere  she  breathed  her 
last  :— 

In  this  lone  room,  my  dear,  departed  child, 
Where  thy  sweet  life  its  glimmering  taper  closed, 
I  sit  a  solitary  mourner  ;  wrapp'd, 
Still  wrapp'd  in  sable  weeds  of  deepest  woe ! 

Though  through  besetting  toils  and  scenes  vexatious. 
Business  of  earth  involving  urgent  cares, 
Or  fears  of  ill,  or  hopes  deferred,  I  wade ; 
Yet  nought  of  earth,  nor  cares,  nor  hope^or  joys. 
Can  draw  my  thoughts  from  hence— from  thee,  nor  loc&a 
My  mind  from  those  heart-chilling,  withering  scenes 
Which  tenderest  cords  of  fond  affection  wrung>. 
When  parents'  warmest,  elevated  hopes^j 


LIFE   OF    REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY. 


%n 


In  one  sad  hour,  sunk  to  the  darksome  tomb  ! 

Oh,  no !  nor  can,  nor  would  I  e'er  forget 

The  sweet,  complacent,  soothing  smile  which  dwelr 

Perpetual  on  thy  fading  lips,  affection's 

Token,  evidence  divine  of  inward 

Joy,  and  resignation  to  high  Heaven's  wilL 

I  see  it  now,  or  seem  to  see,  and  feel 

The  warm,  though  tremulous  grasp  of  thy  soft  hand, 

So  oft  extended  mine  to  meet,  as  to 

Thy  bed,  with  all  the  fond  solicitude 

A  parent  feels,  to  minister  some  cordial 

For  relief    But  vain  illusion !    Heaven 

Decreed  thy  short,  thy  earthly  pilgrimage 

Should  close !    And  I  again  should  feel  the  sharp, 

Invenom'd  spear  of  death  plunged  deeper  into 

This  lacerated  breast,  tar  deeper  than 

The  call  had  been  my  own ! 
Vain  are  all  words  !— All  human  language  vain  !~ 

Vain  the  attempt  the  feelings  to  describe. 

The  deep  sensations  this  sad  heart  endured, 

When  from  thy  dying  lipB  wa3  seal'd  on  mine 

Filial  affection's  last,  deep,  lasting  pledge ! 

Ten  thousand  pointed,  barbed  arrows  shot 

With  ruthless  rage,  maldng  as  many  deep 

Incisions  in  this  heart,  from  whence  pure  streams 

Of  vital  gore  incessant  flow.    Not  dark. 

Deep  clouds,  portentous,  with  peals  of  thunder 

Seven-fold,  bursting  with  horrid  crash  upon 

This  devoted  head— nor  earth,  deep  groaning 

With  fierce  volcanic  fires,  its  jaws  expanding 
Millions  to  devour,  could  so  intensely 

Sink  this  soul  to  woe! 
But,  oh !  't  is  past !    Twelve  months,  this  Mght,  have  elo9e<!:. 

Have  closed  their  gloomy  round,  and  find  me  here. 
Still  pondering  o'er  the  scene,  indulging  still 
In  bitterness  of  woe !— And  still  I'll  mourn ; 
It  is  the  solace  of  the  soul  to  mourn  ; 
Not  murmur,  not  repine  at  Heaven's  will. 
But  meurn  my  loss,  mourn  my  lov'd  children  gone- 
Cut  off  in  life's  bright  mom,  in  hope's  full  bloom, 
Tom  from  my  bosom,  numbered  with  the  dead ! 
I'll  follow  from  their  death-bed  to  their  grave. 
There  weep,  and  kneel,  and  pray,  and  let  this  heart 
Fent  all  her  flood  of  woei 


376  MEMOIRS   OF    THE 

Then  rising,  view  the  Gospel's  glorious  plan^ 
Where  God's  unpurchased  love  's  reveal'd  to  man  f 
Where,  through  the  Savior's  resuiTection  power^ 
Immortal  hfe  illumes  death's  darkest  hour ; 
Where  death,  at  last,  his  wide  domain  resigns, 
And  Christ  shall  reign  with  power  and  love  divine ; 
Where  all  shall  meet  on  one  immortai  shore. 
Friends  re-unite,  and  death  divide  no  more. 
Columbus,  March  23,  1835. 

Ill  the  month  of  May,  1834,  I  made  my  first  tour  in  the 
State  of  Ohio.  The  Western  Reserve  Association  held  it& 
annual  session  that  year,  in  the  town  of  Olmstead,  Cuyahoga 
county.  This  meeting  I  had  the  pleasure  of  attending,  where 
I  formed  an  acquaintance  with  the  few  preachers  of  Univer- 
salism  in  that  region,  and  among  them  was  our  venerable 
Brother  Beals,  whose  stability  and  fidelity  enabled  him  to> 
outride  the  tempest  wliich,  but  a  few  years  before,  engulphed 
every  other  preacher,  within  the  limits  of  that  association,  in 
the  dark  whirlpool  of  Partialism.  But  the  Lord  had  provi- 
ded him  a  few  coadjutors  now,  one  of  whom,  a  Mr.  Tracy, 
soon  followed  his  unhappy  predecessors;  and  another,  Mr. 
Wadsworth,  after  a  few  years  of  faithful  and  etBcient  labor 
in  the  vineyard  of  the  great  Husbandman,  has  bepn  admitted 
to  the  enjoyment  of  a  higher  life.  During  this  tour,  besides^ 
attending  the  association,  I  preached  in  the  towns  of  Paris,. 
Middlebury,  Akron,  Carlisle,  Cleveland,  Painesviile,  Madi- 
son, Saybrook,  and  Ashtabula. 

On  the  21st  of  August,  this  year,  the  Chaurauque  Associ- 
ation held  its  annual  se'ssion,  in  the  town  of  Westfield  ;  and 
at  the  earnest  solicitations  of  delegates  and  friends  from  the 
various  societies  gyid  neighborhoods  in  the  counties  of  Chau- 
tauque  and  Cattaraugus,  N.  Y.  ;  and  Warren,  Erie,  and 
Cravvford,  Pa.;  naeasures  were  adopted  to  try  and  establish 
a  regular  itinerancy,  or  circuit  preachmg,  through  these  sev- 
eral counties.  Mr.  W.  E.  Manley,  a  young  man  of  uncom- 
mon talents,  and  a  scholar,  who  had  recently  entered  the 
field  of  labor  with  an  indefatigable  zeal,  had  penetrated  into 
this  section,  and  was  ready  to  use  all  his  influence  and  la- 
bors for  the  accomplishment  of  so  desirable  an  object ;  and 
he  did  so,  with  all  the  faithfulness  and  ardor  of  an  inspired 
Apostle,  until  he  broke  down  his  health  and  manly  constitu- 
lion,  and  v/as  aclually  under  the  necessity  of  retiring  fron":* 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  377 

the  field,  and  resting  from  his  labors  for  a  year  or  more,  I 
believe,  to  recruit  his  health.  It  was  truly  astonishing  to 
witness  the  zeal,  and  to  see  the  amount  of  labor  performed 
by  that  excellent  young  man,  in  so  short  a  space  of  time. 
Mr.  Holmes  was  also  ready  to  enter  upon  the  circuit ;  and 
so  sanguine  was  the  beliet  of  the  friends  generally,  in  the 
feasibility  and  the  success  of  the  enterprise,  that  a  commit- 
tee  was  appointed  to  draft  a  constitution,  bye-laws,  and  reg- 
ulations for  a  circuit  conference,  and  a  time  and  place  for  its 
first  meeting  appointed,  to  carry  the  object  into  effect. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  circuit  conference  was  holden  in 
the  court-house,  in  Warren,  on  the  15th  and  16lh  of  Octo- 
ber. The  constitution  and  bye  laws  were  reported  and  adopt- 
ed, and  measures  taken  to  commence  operations.  It  be- 
came necessary  that  each  place  where  stations  for  preach- 
ing were  to  be  established  should  be  visited,  and  classes,  as 
we  styled  them,  be  organized;  and  subscription-papers  issued, 
to  raise  funds  for  the  support  of  circuit  preachers.  This  in- 
volved a  vast  labor  in  the  introduction  ;  but  this  labor,  with 
the  help  of  Mr.  Mariley,  I  engaged  to  perform.  I,  there- 
fore, on  the  8th  of  December,  started  on  the  circuit — travel- 
ed upwards  of  200  miles,  through  the  counties  of  Chauiau- 
que  and  Cattaraugus,  N.  Y. ;  and  Warren  and  Crawford, 
Pa.  ;  and  formed  classes  and  issued  subscription- papers  at 
twenty-two  different  stations  therein  :  this  occupied  about 
one  month.  We  eventually  succeeded  in  getting  our  cir- 
cuit very  regularly  established,  and  were  successful  in  rais- 
ing ample  funds  for  the  salary  of  two  circuit  preachers,  who 
were  to  succeed  each  other  at  regular  periods,  at  the  several 
different  stations  on  the  circuit;  and  I  felt  a  comfortable  as- 
surance that  it  would  be  a  means  of  giving  a  renewed  and 
powerful  impulse  to  the  spread  of  the  truth.  Indeed,  al- 
though for  the  want  of  a  thorough  acquaintance  with  its  sys- 
tem of  operation,  by  those  whose  special  business  it  was  to 
direct  its  affairs,  but  more  from  the  delinquency  of  some  of 
our  circuit  preachers,  who  could  not  be  brought  under  the 
implicit  subordination  of  Methodist  discipline,  it  continued 
but  a  short  time  ;  still  much  good  was  effcted  by  it;  and  it 
was  in  quite  successful  operation  when  I  removed  to  Michi- 
gan. But  when  I  returned  back  to  this  country,  after  five 
years'  absence,  to  my  great  sorrow  the  conference  was  disor- 
ganized,  and  the  enterprise  abandoned. 


Z'JQ  MEMOIRS   OF   THE 

During  the  last  sickness  of  my  lamented  friend,  Capt.  D. 
Curtis,  he  called  on  me  to  assist  him  in  arranfrinor  his  tempo- 
ral concerns,  and  preparing  the  necessary  writings  for  the 
settling  of  his  estate  ;  and  at  his  irresistible  request.  I  con- 
sented to  become  one  of  the  executors  of  his  last  will  and 
testament — fully  believing,  however,  at  the  time,  that  his 
sickness  was  not  unto  death,  (though  he  considered  it  so,) 
and  that  the  labors  and  responsibility  would  never  devolve 
upon  me.  But  infinite  wisdom  had  otherwise  determined. 
My  friend  died  ;  and  amid  the  cares  of  my  own  family,  and 
the  labors  and  solicitudes  of  my  clerical  profession,  requir- 
ing a  vast  amount  of  labor,  both  of  body  and  mind,  the  heavy 
responsibility  of  Settling  his  estate  came  upon  me.  His  bu- 
siness was  extensive  for  the  amount  of  property  he  possess- 
ed ;  and  being  broken  suddenly  off,  in  the  midst  of  his  activ- 
ity  and  success,  leavinsr  his  schemes  and  enterprising  ar- 
rangements in  an  unfinished  state,  rendered  the  settlement 
of  his  estate  both  laborious  and  perplexing,  aud  in  despite  of 
the  best  skill,  pruilence,  and  economy  of  the  executors,  sub- 
jected it  to  real  loss  ;  the  estate,  which  in  his  own  hands 
would  have  been  worth  sixteen  or  seventeen  thousand  dol- 
lars, with  all  our  care  and  prudence,  did  not  leave  to  the 
heirs  over  about  twelve  thousand.  His  prop-^rty  lay  mostly 
in  wild  lands,  and  the  will  was  so  constituted  as  to  author- 
ize  and  require  the  executors  to  sell  all,  except  the  home 
farm,  and  pay  the  legacies  to  the  heirs,  out  of  the  avails  ari- 
sing therefrom,  as  they  became  due. 

He  was  joint  partner  with  two  others  of  a  tract  of  three 
thousand  acres  of  land  in  Tyler  county,  Va.  ;  but  the  title 
to  the  whole  tract  was  vested  in  him.  Already  had  one,  and 
the  only  surviving  original  partner,  thrown  it  into  the  Court 
of  Chancery,  in  order  to  obtain  a  division  of  the  land.  It 
became 'necessary,  therefore,  that  one  at  least  of  the  execu- 
tors should  go  to  that  State  and  attend  to  it,  as  well  as  to 
make  proof  of  the  will  of  the  deceased,  in  order  to  get  pos- 
session of  the  land  and  expose  it  for  sale  ;  and,  as  usual,  the 
"  Lot  fell  on  Jonah."  It  became  necessary,  also,  to  take  the 
journey  in  the  month  of  April,  a  sea^on  of  the  year  when 
traveling  generally  is  the  most  intolerable  ;  but  a  friend  of 
mine,  who  was  in  the  habit  of  running  lumberon  rafts  down 
the  Allegany  and  Ohio  rivers,  proposed  to  me  to  make  the 
trip  down  on  his  raft,  from  which  he  could  land  me  at  Sis- 


LIFE    OF   REV.  NATHANIEL   STACY.  37^ 

tersville,  only  about  tVenty-five  or  thirty  miles  from  the  place 
of  my  destination.  Of  this  privilege  I  gladly  availed  my- 
self; and  on  the  Sthof  April,  1835,  1  took  passage  onboard 
his  rafl,  at  Warren,  with  my  horse,  amply  provided  with  hay 
and  oats  for  the  voyat^e,  and  like  Noah's  Ark,  "Went  upoa 
the  waters,"  rnovihg  with  the  current  of  these  majestic  and 
romantic  rivers,  down  the  Allegany  and  Ohio,  in  their  ser- 
pentine course,  four  hundred  miles  ;  from  which  I  was  ta- 
ken by  a  ferry  boat,  and  landed  at  the  village  of  Sistersville, 
Tyler  county,  Va.  It  was,  on  the  whole,  one  of  the  most 
pleasant  voyages  I  ever  made.  The  weather  was  fine,  and 
the  romantic  scenery  through  which  fhe  Allegany  finds  its 
course,  cutting  its  way  through  mountains  whose  pointed 
summits  seem  to  penetrate  the  cerulean  canopv,  and  mingle 
with  the  upper  world,  and  carrying  the  astonished  passenger 
to  every  point  of  compass  on  the  dial — sometimes  apparently 
thrusting  him  with  vi  jlence  agair.st  the  base  of  an  almost 
perpendicular  and  inaccessible  mountain,  through  which  he 
sees  no  aperture  nor  possible  turn  of  the  stream,  until  the 
forward  end  of  his  frail  craft  almost  presses  upon  the  ledge 
which  threatens  his  destruction,  when  a  sudden  turn  of  the 
river,  perhaps  m-.king  an  acute  angle  to  the  right  or  left, 
seems  hastening  bick  from  whence  he  camp,  captivates  the 
feelings  of  the  lover  of  the  sublime,  and  affords  abundant 
subject  for  wonder  and  meditation.  Sometimes  you  disco- 
ver a  small  improvement,  and  occasionally  a  little  hamlet ; 
and  once  in  a  while,  at  the  mouth  of  some  stream,  where  the 
interval  widens  out  to  a  greater  extent,  a  pleasant  little  vil- 
lage, with  its  church  or  churchps,  its  pretty  painted  houses^ 
its  mills  and  its  work-shops,  affords  a  change  of  scenery. 
But  it  appeared  to  me  that  there  was  but  a  small  proportion 
of  the  lands  upon  the  borders  of  the  Allegany  suitable  for 
cultivation,  until  you  approach  near  iis  junction  with  the 
Monongahela,  formin-z  the  Ohio.  Down  the  Ohio  the  sce- 
nery is  somewhat  different.  But  the  very  hiiiTi  banks  of  the 
river  prevent  the  passenger  on  a  raft — which  places  him 
down  to  the  water's  surface — from  having  a  fair  view  of  the 
handsome,  cultivated  farms,  and  splendid  villages,  in  many 
places  scat'erod  along  the  "Banks  of  the  pleasant  Ohio." 
But  the  motion  of  the  raft  is  so  gentle  and  s'ill,  that  you  can 
read  or  write  with  as  much  ease  as  though  under  no  motion 
at  all.     I  wrote  letters  to  my 'family,  and  some  other  friends, 


380  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

and  prepared  necessary  writings  for  the  facility  of  my  busi- 
ness, with  as  mucti  ease  as  thouiih  I  had  been  in  my  study. 

1  was  fortunate  in  the  transaction  of  my  business  about  the 
land,  and  accomplished  the  object  of  my  mission  in  about  one 
week.  Having  long  cherished  a  desire  to  vi^it  Marietta,  Ohio, 
the  first  place  in  the  State  settled  by  civilized  inhabitants, 
among  whom  were  some  of  my  own  blood-kindred,  therefore, 
on  my  return  to  Sistersville,  finding  myself  within  about  thirty 
miles  of  the  place,  I  could  not  well  resist  gratifying  my  in- 
clination. Having  so  successfully  accomplished  my  secular 
mission,  I  concluded  to  take  a  little  time  to  myself,  and  my 
divine  Master.  Accordingly,  I  crossed  the  Ohio  river,  and 
made  my  way  along  its  romantic"  bank  to  the  desired  place. 
It  was  night  before  I  reached  the  city  ;  and,  although  I  was 
aware  that  there  was  a  Universalist  society  in  the  place,  yet 
being  an  entire  stranger,  and  wearied  by  traveling,  I  put  up 
at  the  first  respectable-looking  tavern.  Of  the  landlord,  I 
learned  that  evening,  that  none  of  my  relatives  remained  in 
the  city.  The  few  who  formerly  resided  there  had  removed 
about  nine  miles  up  the  Muskingum  to  a  place  called  Rain- 
bow  ;  but  I  made  no  inquiry  about  Universalists.  In  the 
morning,  having  written  a  line  to  a  friend  in  McConnelsville, 
which  was  about  forty  miles  up  the  Muskingum,  notifying 
him  of  an  intended  visit,  and  giving  him  an  appointment  for  a 
Sunday,  I  went  to  the  post-office  to  deposit  it.  This  led  me 
quite  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  city  ;  and,  on  leaving  the  post- 
ofRce,  I  fell  in  company  with  a  citizen,  and  after  exchanging 
civil  compliments,  the  following  dialogue,  in  substance,  en- 
sued : 

Stranger.  You  have  a  handsome  little  city  here,  sir,  very 
pleasantly  and  romantically  situated  ;  and  I  should  judge, 
from  the  number  of  churches  I  discover,  that  you  are  quite 
a  religious  people. 

Citizen.  Yes  \  we  are  generally  emigrants  from  New  Eng- 
land, and  are  quite  fond  of  attending  meeting  somewhere. 

S,  I  should  conclude,  from  the  number  and  appearance  of 
the  meeting-houses,  that  they  belonged  to  different  denomina- 
tions. 

C.  Yes  ;  (pointing  to  one,  and  then  to  others,  as  he  spoke,) 
that  is  a  Presbyterian  house — that  a  Baptist — that  a  Methodist 
— that  an  Episcopalian,  &c. 

S.  Among  your   different  denominations  of  Christians,  I 


LIFE    OF     REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  381 

conclude  you  have  none  of  that  strange  sect,  called  Univer- 
salists. 

C.  Oh,  yes ;  many  of  them — there  is  quite  a  society  of 
them  in  the  city. 

S.  Astonishing !  What,  Universalists  here  ?  Why  you 
must  be  very  unfortunate.  Can  you  keep  your  property  and 
your  lives  secure  among  them  ?  Why,  I  have  been  told  that 
they  are  the  most  immoral,  and  the  most  dangerous  people  in 
the  world. 

C.  Oh,  sir,  you  have  been  wrongly  informed  ;  some  of  our 
very  best  inhabitants  are  strong  and  decided  Universalists. 

S'.  Indeed,  sir!  is  that  possible?  Can  you  show  me  a 
likely,  good,  moral  man  who  is  a  Universalist  ? 

C.  Certainly,  sir.  Why,  there  is  uncle  Jo  Holden,  one  of 
the  best  men  in  the  world  ;  and  there  is  Esquire  Fish  ;  both 
Universalists  ;  and  many  others. 

(S.  Well,  sir,  if  you  will  have  the  goodness  to  show  me  ei- 
ther  of  the  gentlemen  you  have  named,  you  will  confer  a  great 
favor ;  for  I  have  a  strong  desire  to  see  a  likely  man,  who  calls 
himself  a  Universalist. 

C.  Well,  sir,  just  walk  with  me  to  Mr.  Holden's  store,  and 
rU  show  you  such  a  sight  with  much  pleasure. 

After  walking  a  few  rods,  we  arrived  at  the  store,  but  Mr. 
Holden  was  absent.  My  companion  informed  his  clerk,  that 
a  gentleman  w^xshed  to  see  Mr.  Holden.  The  clerk  replied, 
'•  He  has  just  stepped  out,  and  I  will  look  for  him."  He  soon 
returned,  and  said,  "1  could  not  see  him,  but  he  will  most 
certainly  return  to  the  store  in  a  few  minutes."  I  said  to  my 
friend,  "  You  named  another  gentleman — is  it  far  to  his  resi- 
dence ?"  "Oh,  no;  Esquire  Fish  is  doubtless  in  his  ware- 
house. He  keeps  that  cabinet  ware-house,"  pointing  to  a 
building  near  by.  "  Well,  sir,  will  you  have  the  goodness  to 
walk  there  with  me  ?"  He  cheerfully  complied,  for  he  be- 
gan to  manifest  some  curiosity  about  my  engagedness  to  see 
a  likely  Universalist.  We  found  Esq.  Fish  in  his  shop,  and 
my  friend  addressed  me,  as  we  entered  the  room,  with,  "  This 
is  Esq.  Fish."  I  bowed  to  the  Esq.,  and  said,  "I  have  re- 
quested this  gentleman  to  accompany  me  here,  sir;  and,  al- 
though an  entire  stranger,  I  will  take  the  liberty  of  introdu- 
cing myself  to  you,  as  a  Universalist  preacher,  by  the  name 
of  Stacy."  Esq.  Fish  extended  his  hand,  saying,  "You  are 
no  stranger,  sir,  we  know  you  very  well,  and  are  very  happy 


^382  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

that  you  have  given  us  a  call— your  name  is  familiar  to  u* 
all."  I  then  turned  to  my  kind  conductor,  who  manifested 
■some  little  surprise  in  his  countenance,  but  at  the  same  time 
no  displeasure,  and  thanked  him  for  his  politeness  and  atten- 
tion,  and  he  left  us.  I  told  Esq.  F.  that  I  had  merely  called  to 
make  an  introduction  ;  for  1  designed  to  go  that  day  to  my 
friends,  up  the  Muskingum.  "  No,"  said  he,  "  you  can't  go 
to-day — -we  can't  spare  you-— you  must  preach  with  us  to-mor- 
row." (It  was  Saturday  morning.)  "  Bat,  have  you  time  to 
give  sufficient  notice  ?"  •' Yes,  plenty  of  time  ;  and  we  are 
truly  hungry  for  the  bread  of  life."  "  Well,  I'll  stay  then." 
We  immediately  went  to  Mr.  Holden's  store,  where  we  found 
him.  My  horse  was  sent  for  ;  and  every  comfort  that  warm 
hearts,  willing  hands,  and  full  purses  could  supply,  was  pro- 
vided for  me.  Information  was  circulated  through  the  city, 
and  adjacent  country;  and,  at  an  early  hour  the  next  day, 
the  Court-house  was  thronged  with  a  large  congregation  of 
interested  and  interesting  hearers. 

An  appointment  was  sant  from  here  to  Belpre,  sixteen  miles 
down  the  river,  for  the  next  Sunday ;  and  most  of  the  inter- 
vening time  I  spent  with  the  surviving  members  of  Col.  Wil- 
liam Stacy's  family,  a  few  of  whom  1  found  in  the  place  be- 
fore named,  called  Rainbow,  nine  miles  from  Marietta.  Col. 
Stacy  was  a  revolutionary  officer,  and  one  oj  the  company 
who  made  the  New  England  purchase,  and  commenced  the 
settlement  at  Marietta,  about  the  year  1788.  I  found  two  of 
his  children  only,  a  son  and  a  daughter,  and  the  widow  of  an- 
other son  with  a  small  posterity,  remaining.  Many  years  had 
elapsed  since  we  had  met.  Those  who  were  then  rejoicing 
in  the  pride  of  manhood,  were  now  tottering  on  the  brink  of 
the  grave;  and  we  who  were  their  children  had  long  since 
passed  the  meridian  of  life,  and  were  fast  hastening  on  to  the 
same  destiny.  This,  though  it  awakened  melancholy  remi- 
niscences, and  stirred  up  mournful  feelings,  was  nevertheless 
hailed  as  a  happy  season,  and  acknowledged  as  such  with 
gratitude  to  the  great  "  Preserver  of  men."  I  was  very  hap- 
py in  finding  the  younger  branches  of  my  revered  uncle's 
family  in  the  faith  of  the  Great  Salvation  ;  and  1  enjoyed  the 
privilege  of  delivering  to  the  old  and  young  the  message  of 
eternal  life.  From  thence  1  returned  back  to  Marietta,  and 
accompanied  by  a  young  man,  of  the  name  of  Chappel,  who 
»hortly  afterwards  became  a  preacher  himself,  and  who  still 


LIFE    OF    RfiV.  NATHANIEL    STACY.  38»1 

remains  "  faithful  to  Him  who  called  him*,"  repaired  to  Bel- 
pre,  delivering  one  lecture  by  the  way.  In  Belpre  I  found  a 
flourishing  society  of  faithful  and  devout  worshipers,  with 
William  Pitt  Putnam,  a  descendant  of  General  Putnam,  of 
revolutionary  memory,  at  its  head.  They  had  in  progress  of 
building  a  meeting-house,  which  they  have  long  since  com- 
pleted  and  enjoyed. 

After  delivering  my  message  here,  I  proceeded  to  McCon- 
nelsville,  Morgan  county,  delivering  two  lectures  by  the 
way  ;  which  place  I  reached  on  Friday  evening,  and  found 
the  friends  in  expectation  of  my  arrival.  My  letter  had  been 
duly  received,  and  information  of  the  meeting  widely  circu-. 
lated  ;  so  that  on  Sunday  the  Court-house  was  amply  filled. 
On  Monday  morning,  taking  an  atfectionate  leave  of  my 
friends,  and  bidding  adieu  to  a  country  1  had  never  before 
visited,  and  which  1  never  expected  to  see  again,  I  directed 
my  course  through  one  of  the  most  romantic,  though  not  one 
of  the  j^iost  productive,  countries  I  ever  traveled  in,  to  Wells- 
ville,  on  the  Ohio  river,  some  thirty  miles  below  Beaver,  in 
Pennsylvania.  I  arrived  in  Beaver  on  Friday,  and  stopped 
with  a  friend  over  Sabbath,  where  I  delivered  two  discourses 
to  very  respectable  congregations,  comprising  several  persons 
who  had  probably  never  before  heard  a  discourse  delivered 
by  a  Universalist ;  but  they  gave  me  profound  attention,  and 
I  am  happy  in  believing  that  my  labor  was  not  wholly  in 
vain.  On  Monday  morning,  I  again  set  my  face  toward  my 
family,  whom  I  reached  on  the  Wednesday  following,  being 
a  little  past  the  middle  of  May.  I  had  been  absent  about  six 
weeks,  and,  including  my  voyage  on  the  raft,  had  traveled 
nearly  one  thousand  miles. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  this  year,  (1835,)  I  received  a  letter 
from  the  Clerk  of  the  Universalist  Society  in  Ann  Arbor, 
Michigan,  giving  me  an  invitation  to  remove  into  that  country, 
and  take  the  pastoral  charge  of  the  society  in  that  place.  I 
had  been  then  four  years  and  a  half  itinerating  and  pioneer- 
ing this  wild  and  trackless  country  ;  and  although  improve- 
ments in  roads,  as  well  as  in  agriculture  and  every  thing  else 
pertaining  to  civilization,  were  progressing  with  as  much  ra- 
pidity as  could  be  rationally  expected,  still  it  was  almost  im- 
practicable  to  travel  with  carriages  of  any  kind,  and  it  wae 
truly  a  severe  task  to  perform  my  monthly  labors.  And  con- 
*idQring  my  advanced  years,  and  increasing  infirmities,  I  fell 


834  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

justified  in  changing  my  position,  so  that  I  might  enjoy,  at 
"least,  a  temporary  release  from  the  extreme  fatigues  I  had  so 
long  endured.  Several  families  who  had  been  my  hearers  in 
Central  New  York  had  fixed  their  residen(;e  at  Ann  Arbor, 
and  were  members  of  that  society  ;  and  it  was  through  their 
recommendation  that  I  had  received  the  call.  They  inform- 
ed me  that  they  had  already  a  convenient  meeting-house — 
that  Mr.  P.  Morse,  wlio  had  bden  to  see  a  brother  in  that  part, 
had  made  them  a  visit,  and  dedicated  the  house  ;  and  they 
felt  able  to  sustain  constant  preaching,  and  were  anxious  to 
secure  my  services.  After  taking  the  matter  into  deliberate 
and  prayerful  consideration,  I  wrote  them  that  I  would  make 
them  a  visit  early  in  the  month  of  July,  Providence  permit- 
ting— would  spend  four  Sabbaths  with  them,  and  would  then 
give  them  an  answer.  Knowing  that  I  had  the  journey  above 
described  to  perform,  I  put  off  my  visit  a  sufficient  length 
of  time  to  accomplish  it.  After  returning  from  my  Virginia 
tour,  I  made  preparation  for  my  journey  to  Michigan,  and  on 
the  sixth  of  July  started  for  the  then  "far  west."  *I  took 
passage  in  a  steam-boat  at  Erie,  for  Detroit.  This  was  the 
first  time  I  had  ever  crossed  this  inland  sea,  and  it  was  quite 
an  interesting  voyage  ;  and  although  we  had  somewhat  of  a 
rough  time,  and  a  little  sea-sickness  disturbed  for  a  short 
time  the  equanimity  of  my  feelings,  still  I  enjoyed  it  well  for 
the  most  part ;  and  about  thirty-six  hours  brought  us  safely 
to  the  city  of  Detroit.  A  few  years  before  this,  several  of 
my  wife's  relatives,  (brother's  children,)  had  removed  to  this 
place  ;  I  remained  here,  therefore,  over  one  day  to  make  them 
a  brief  visit;  and  while  here,  one  of  the  leading  members  of 
the  society  in  Ann  Arbor  called  on  me.  He  informed  me 
that  my  letter  had  been  received — that  they  had  given  inform- 
ation of  my  intended  visit,  and  circulated  notice  for  a  meeting 
on  the  next  Sabbath.  Taking  passage  in  a  stage  the  next 
morning,  a  ride  of  forty  miles  over  a  very  bad  road,  for  at 
least  half  the  way,  brought  me  a  little  before  night-fall  to  the 
place  of  my  destination. 

Ann  Arbor  is  the  seat  of  justice  for  Washtenav/  county.  It 
is  pleasantly  situated  on  both  sides  of  the  Huron  river,  which 
disembogues  into  the  Straits  of  Detroit,  near  the  head  of  Lake 
Erie.  The  river  is  very  rapid  near  this  section  of  it,  afford- 
ing excellent  mill-seats,  at  convenient  distances,  for  twenty 
miles  or  more,  with  sufficient  water  for  all  mechanical  pur- 


LIFE    OF     REV.    liATHANlEL    STACY.  S85 

poses.  A  convention  had  recently  been  in  session  in  De- 
troit for  tlie  framing  of  a  State  constitution,  which  was  subse-^- 
quentiy  adopted,  and  at  the  following  session  of  Congress  the 
State  of  Michigan  was  received  into  the  family  of  the  repub- 
lic ;  and  Ann  Arbor  became  the  seat  of  the  State  Uni- 
versity. 

On  my  arrival,  1  found  a  Universalist  Society,  of  respect- 
able numbers,  legally  incorporated,  comprising  a  portion  of 
the  most  respectable  and  influential  inhabitants,  and  possess- 
ing the  only  meeting-house,  in  a  finished  state,  in  the  village. 
My  reception  was  cordial  and  hearty,  and  the  meetings  well 
attended.  I  remained  with  them  four  Sabbaths,  and,  durin<T 
the  intermediate  time,  I  visited  the  adjacent  towns,  and  deliv- 
ered several  lectures  in  different  places.  The  country,  though 
new,  exiiibited  evidence  of  a  rich  and  productive  soil,  and  was 
fast  advancing  in  agricultural  improvements;  and,  although 
it  had  been  reputed  as  unhealthful,  yet  to  me  it  bore  the  ap- 
pearance of  being  healthful— the  surface  handsomely  undula- 
ting, the  streams  of  water  pure  and  lively,  the  atmosphere  se- 
rene, and  the  climate  sweet  and  salubrious  ;  and  I  concluded 
it  would,  at  least,  answer  for  a  temporary  residence  for  my 
family.  Therefore,  at  the  close  of  my  probationary  term,  I 
agreed  to  settle  with  them  for  a  season  ;  and  if  I  could  possi- 
bly bring  my  secular  business  tS  a  final  adjustment,  a  consid- 
able  portion  of  which  was  still  on  my  hands,  I  agreed  to  re- 
move my  family  the  ensuing  fall. 

I  then  returned  home,  applied  myself  with  the  utmost  dili- 
gence  to  accomplish  a  final  settlement  of  the  estate  of  Capt. 
Curtis,  and  succeeded  as  far  as  it  could  be  completed  until  the 
heirs  severally  became  of  age  ;  when  I  delivered  all  the  books, 
papers,  and  writings  belonging  to  the  estate  into  the  hands  of 
a  co-executor,  resigned  rny  commission,  and  was  in  readiness 
to  start  with  my  family  on  the  first  of  November. 

The  season  had  so  far  advanced,  and  the  autumnal  winds 
were  generally  making  the  lake  so  rough,  that  navigation  had 
become  perilous,  and  regular  trips  of  steamboats  had  ceased 
— although  boats  continued  to  navigate  the  lake,  as  they  al- 
ways do  at  irregular  intervals,  until  obstructed  by  ice — that 
[  concluded  to  take  my  family  by  land  the  most  part  of  the 
way.  Therefore,  having  sent  our  furniture  to  Erie  to  be  for- 
warded  by  water  to  Detroit,  we  provided  ourselves  with  a 
good  team   and  light  pleasure-wagon,  and  proceeded  by  landi 

Y 


386  MEMOIRS   OF   THE 

as  far  as  the  port  of  Huron,  in  Ohio.     We  stopped  here  witk 
a  design,  if  possible,  to  get  a  steam -boat  passage  just  across 
the  head  of  the  lake,  which  would  not  only  save  a  great  dis- 
tance in  travel/  but  also  save  us  the  journey  of  thirty  miles 
through  what  was  called  the  Black  Swamp,  where  teams,  at 
that  season  of  the  year,  were  frequently  unable  to  make  ten 
miles  a  day.     We  arrived  at  this  port  on  the  tenth  of  Novem- 
ber, in  the  latter  part  of  the  day  ;  and  on  that  very  night  a 
most  tremendous  storm  of  wind  and  snow  was  experienced 
on  the  lake,  which  drove  every  vessel,  of  all  descriptions,  in- 
to the  nearest  port  they  could   make,  and  precluded  any  at- 
tempt to  put  out  again  for  several  days.     The  port  of  Huron 
was  swept  of  its  waters,  which  receded  to  the  depth  of  six  or 
eight  feet,  leaving  the  few  vessels  and  water-crafts  in  the  port 
high  and  dry.     We  were  here  weather-bound,  therefore,  three 
or  four  days — could  neither  travel  by  land,  nor  find  passage 
by  water.     But  a  kind  Providence,  uniformly,  "  after  a  storm 
sends  a  calm ;"  and  after  waiting  with  some  anxiety  for  sev- 
eral days,  the  lake   became  smooth,  the  waters   returned  to 
their  wonted  bed  and  equilibrium,  and  the  sight  of  a  steam- 
boat, puffing  into  port,  relieved  our  solicitude.     She  proved, 
however,  to  be  an  old  crazy  boat,  and  heavily  laden  ;  but  the 
Captain  assured  us  she   was  safe,  and  he  could   make  room 
for  us  ;  and  the  uncertaint*y  of  another  boat,  and  the  great 
probability  that  another  storm  would  not  succeed  this   viol-ent 
blow  until  we  should  have  time  to  reach  Detroit,  encouraged 
us  to  take  passage ;  and  committing  our  case  and  ourselves 
to  the  care  of  the  great  "  Preserver  of  men,' ^  we  went  on  board. 
The  boat  was  loaded  to  the  water-brim,  the  engine  poor,  and 
she  lugged  very  slowly  through  the  water  ;  so  that  our  pass- 
age merely  across  the  head  of  the  lake,  occupied  more  time 
than  it  generally  takes  to  navigate  its  whole  length,  from  Buf- 
falo to  Detroit.     But  under  the  watchful  care  of  an  ever- wake- 
ful Providence,  no  disaster  occurred,  the  lake  retained  its 
peacefulness,  the  heavens  smiled  above  us  ;  and  a  little  after 
dark,  on  the  second  evening  of  our  voyage  the  brilliant  lights 
which  appeared  on  our  larboard  quarter,  announced  our  ap- 
proach  to  the  city  of  Detroit.     Our  friend  and  kinsman,  Cor- 
nelius Clark,  was  at  the  wharf  when  we  landed,  and  conduct- 
ed us  to  his  hospitable  habitation,  where  we  found  a  resting- 
place  from  the  fatigues  of  our  journey,  as  well  as  all  the  char- 
ities  of  life  that  the  hands  of  kind  friends  could  provide.  Af- 


LIFE    OF    REV.  NATHANIEL   STACY.  367 

■fer  remaining  two  days  with  our  friends  in  the  city,  we  pro-, 
needed  on  our  journey  to  Ann  Arbor. 

The  first  settlement  of  Detroit  bears  date  nearly  with  that  of 
Khe  city  of  Philadelphia.  It  was  an  old  French  fortress,  and 
■3.  fur-trading  establishment.  It  passed  into  the  possession  of 
the  English  on  their  conquest  of  Canada,  and  eventually,  by 
the  Revolution,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  United  States.  At 
the  time  of  my  removal,  quite  a  large  proportion  of  the  citi- 
s:ens  were  descendants  of  the  original  French  settlers,  and  the 
Roman  Catholic  religion  was  in  the  ascendant.  But  other 
parts  of  the  State  were  peopled,  and  were  then  rapidly  settling 
with  emigrants  from  the  eastern  and  middle  States,  as  well  as 
from  Europe.  Many  Irish  and  German  inhabitants  were  to 
be  found  there  ;  but  a  majority  probably  were  from  the  State 
of  New  York,  or  those  who  had  made  that  State  a  stopping- 
place  for  a  season,  in  their  western  progress.  Society,  there- 
fore, migrlit  be  considered  in  a  state  of  disorganization — the 
people  had  not  yet  assumed  a  sectional  character — their  man- 
ners and  their  habits,  educationally  so  different  from  each 
other,  had  not  yet  had  time  to  assimilate.  The  leading  hab- 
its were  those  of  the  citizens  of  the  State  of  New  York  ;  and 
their  State-constitution  and  laws  modeled  accordingly.  They 
were  divided  into  all  the  sects  that  were  known  in  the  Chris- 
tian church,  but  in  most  cases  less  bigoted,  and  more  liberally 
and  charitably  disposed  toward  each  other  than  in  older  coun- 
tries, and  under  long-cherished  and  permanently-established 
institutions.  Hence,  in  most  cases  where  a  Universalist 
preacher  should  appoint  a  meeting,  he  would  get  a  respecta- 
ble congregation.  A  very  few  of  the  preachers  of  the  Great 
Salvation  had  briefly  visited  that  country,  but  there  were  only 
two  who  devoted  their  time  to  the  ministry,  residing  within  the 
limits  of  the  State.  Mr.  A.  H.  Curtis  had  been  there  some 
two  or  three  years ;  he  had  been  successful  in  getting  up  con- 
gregations in  seyeral  towns  and  counties  in  the  State  ;  and  to 
his  labors,  unquestionably,  the  society  in  Ann  Arbor  were 
considerably  indebted  for  their  prosperity.  Fle  had  been  in- 
strumental in  organizing  si^U  societies  in  Tecumseh  and  in 
Adrian,  Lenawee  county ;  and  one  in  Blissfield,  where  he 
had  settled  with  his  family.  Mr.  Thomas  Wheeler  removed 
into  the  State  sometime  in  the  course  of  the  summer  before  1 
removed  my  family,  and  had  fixed  his  residence  in  Macomb 
coijmty.     There  were  two  others  who  had  received  letters  of 


388  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

fellowship,  as  preachers  in  our  denomination,  Mr.  J.  Lock-^ 
wood,  in  Lenawee  county,  and  Mr.  Daniel  Walker,  in  Jack- 
son  county  ;  but  both  were  engaged  in  secular  employments, 
and  paid  little  or  no  attention  to  the  ministiy.  Four  societies 
were  all  that  existed  under  any  form  of  organization,  and  that 
in  Tecumseh  scarcely  merited  the  appellation  of  a  society  ; 
and  nothing  as  yet  had  been  done  toward  organizing  an  Asso- 
ciation. Mr.  Curtis  soon  visited  me  after  my  settlement  at 
Ann  Arbor;  but  Mr.  Wheeler  I  saw  not  for  more  than  a 
year. 

Although  my  labors  were  confined  on  the  Sabbaths  to  one 
society,  I  soon  began  to  ride  and  lecture  on  week-days  in  the 
adjacent  country,  and  very  shortly  had  several  regular  stations 
for  weekly  lectures — one  in  Plymouth,  sixteen  miles  distant. 
Mr.  Curtis  had  preached  there,  more  or  less,  as  well  as  in  sev- 
eral others  where  1  was  called  to  lecture,  but  no  organization 
had  been  effected.  Mr.  Curtis  and  myself  had  had  some  con- 
versation, from  time  to  time,  on  the  expediency  of  organizing 
an  Association,  and  concluded  to  make  a  trial.  At  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  society  in  Ann  Arbor,  holden  in  April,  the 
subject  was  laid  before  the  society,  and  they  passed  a  resolu- 
tion inviting  an  inceptive  meeting  for  that  purpose,  to  be  held 
in  that  place. 

Accordingly,  on  the  first  Wednesday  in  June,  1836,  just 
thirty  years  from  the  organization  of  the  first  Association  in 
the  State  of  New  York,  we  assembled  at  Ann  Arbor,  State  of 
Michigan,  and  organized  the  first  Universalist  Association  in 
that  new  State  ;  and  as  in  New  York,  so  in  Michigan,  but 
three  societies  were  duly  represented  by  legally  appointed 
delegates.  The  reader  will  very  easily  imagine  that  remi- 
niscences of  a  peculiar  and  interesting  character  were  awaken- 
ed in  my  mind. 

Previously  to  that  meeting,  Mr.  J.  E.  Holmes  came  into 
that  State ;  and  a  young  man  by  name  Rijchard  Thornton, 
subsequently  known  as  the  able  editor  of  the  "  Primitive  Ex- 
pounder,"  had  just  entered  upon  the  ministry,  and  had  been 
itinerating  for  a  short  time  in  l^at  region.  Mr.  D.  Biddle- 
com  had  settled  with  the  society  in  Perrysburg,  Ohio ;  and 
Mr.  K.  Townsend  was  at  that  time  on  a  tour  through  that 
country.  All  these  met  with  us  on  that  interesting  occasion, 
who,  with  Mr.  Lockwood  and  Mr.  Curtis  before  mentioned, 
made  out  rather  an  imposing  phalanx  of  Universalist  preachers 


LIFE   OF    REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  369 

for  the  first  session  of  an  Association  in  that  remote,  western 
iimb  of  the  great  Husbandman's  vineyard.  The  Association 
was  organized  in  due  form,  by  the  name  and  title  of  the  "  Cen- 
tral Association  of  Universalists  in  Michigan,"  a  constitution 
was  adopted,  and  Mr.  Thornton  received  a  letter  of  fellowship 
as  a  preacher  of  the  "  everlasting  Gospel."  That  was  the 
germ  of  the  regular  organization  of  Universalists  in  the  State 
of  Michigan.  In  the  course  of  that  month,  June,  a  church 
was  organized  in  Ann  Arbor,  consisting  of  about  thirty  mem- 
bers ;  and  another  in  Adrian,  where,  at  a  conference  for  its 
recognition,  Mr.  Curtis  received  water  baptism  and  ordina- 
tion, and  became  its  pastor  for  a  season.  Several  other  preach- 
ers soon  moved  into  the  State,  and  settled  in  different  parts 
of  it,  believers  were  multiplied,  societies  sprang  up  in  vari- 
-ous  places,  and  the  cause  began  to  assume  a  promising  and 
encouraging  aspect. 

One  incident,  which  may  be  well  connected  with  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  church  in  Ann  Arbor,  is  certainly  v/orthy  of 
a  place  in  these  memoirs. 

Early  after  my  arrival  with  my  family  at  Ann  Arbor,  while 
waiting  for  the  arriva?  of  our  furniture  from  Detroit,  and  we 
were  yet  quartered  upon  our  friends;  in  a  conversation  upon 
the  existing  and  prospective  state  of  the  cause  in  Ann  Arbor, 
and  the  country  in  general,  with  two  of  the  leading  members 
of  the  society,  Messsrs.  Fuller  and  Kellogg,  partners  in  the 
mercantile  business,  they  mentioned  several  influential  men, 
who,  if  converted  to  the  faith,  would  be  strong  pillars  in  the 
church ;  and  among  them  they  named  Deacon  John  Wil- 
liams, of  the  adjacent  town  of  Webster.  They  had  known 
Deacon  W.  from  their  earliest  remembrance.  He  emigrated 
from  the  same  place  with  themselves,  and  they  entertained  a 
high  regard  for  him  as  a  man  and  a  Christian,  although  in 
theory  he  was  a  bigoted  Calvinistic  Presbyterian.  He  was  a 
man  in  the  decline  of  life,  about  my  age,  affluent  circumstan- 
ces— a  fore-handed  farmer,  and  had  been  a  professor  of  reli- 
gion, and  a  member  of  the  church  from  the  age  of  sixteen 
years.  He  had  uniformly  holden  the  office  of  deacon,  or  el- 
der, or  both,  for  thirty  years,  or  more ;  had  associated  much 
with  the  clergy,  was  a  correct  theorist  in  the  Calvinistic  school, 
and  a  most  zealous  and  persevering  advocate  of  its  doctrines. 
He  subsequently  told  me  that  one  important  consideration  of 
his  removal  into  Michigan,  was  the  establishment  of  a  church 


390  MEMOIRS   OF    TEE 

in  the  true  faith,  and  the  propagation  of  those  doctrines  whicft 
he  so  firmly  believed  to  be  the  trutli  of  God,  and  so  necessary 
to  be  embraced  in  order  for  salvation  by  the  multitudinous 
emigrants  thronging  into  that  country.  He  was  a  man  of 
sound  judgment,  of  powerful  natural  talents,  and  extensive 
influence  ;  and  he  employed  all,  and  was  not  sparing  of  his 
wealth  even,  in  the  cause  of  the  religion  he  had  embraced. 
Therefore,  although  they  ardently  desired  his  conversion,  yet, 
considering  his  long-standing  religious  connection  and  habits, 
his  unyielding  tenacity  to  his  creed,  and  his  zeal  for  its  pro- 
pagation, they  considered,  very  rationally,  that  the  case  was 
hopeless. 

A  few  days  after  that  conversation,  having  rented  a  house, 
and  received  part  of  our  furniture  from  Detroit ;  and  while 
arranging  it  so  far  as  to  get  my  family  together  once  more,  I 
stepped  into  the  store  in  a  hurry  to  get  some  article  I  needed, 
and  was  there  introduced  to  Deacon  Williams.     Although  I 
knew  not  how  to  spare  a  moment,  we  must  nevertheless  have 
some  conversation.     We  were  invited  into  the  counting-room 
with  the  two  friends  before  named.     I  found  the  Deacon  a 
very  reasonable  man,  familiar  and  pleasant,  and  by  no  means 
so  rigid  and  overbearing  as  I  had  anticipated  ;    and  not  incli- 
ned at  that  time,  at  any  rate,  to  enter  into  a  doctrinal  discus- 
sion.    After  some  half-hour's  conversation,  I  began  to  excuse 
myself  on  account  of  my  particular  business  of  the  day,  when 
the  Deacon  addressed  me  nearly  in  the  following  language : 
"  Mr.  Stacy,  I  have  long  had  two  passages  of  Scripture  on 
my  mind,  containing,  as  I  think,  very  important  doctrine,  that 
I  have  desired  to  hear  some  able  divine  discourse  from,     f 
have  several  times  requested  ministers  of  my  own  denomina- 
tion to  preach  from  them,  but  as  yet  have  never  been  gratified. 
I  Was  mentioning  it  the  other  day  to  our  friends,  Fuller  and 
Kellogg,  and  they  thought  you  would  be  willing  to  preach  from 
them ;  and  I  told  them  if  you  would,  I  would  come  and  hear 
you."     *'  Well,  Deacon,"  I  said,  "  I  always  feel  under  obli- 
gation to  give  my  opinion  on  any  passage  on  which  I  have  an 
opinion  formed,  when  presented  in  a  friendly  manner ;  and  I 
have  so  closely  made  the  Scriptures  my  study  for  many  years, 
that  I  have  formed  an  opinion,  satisfactory  to  myself  at  least, 
on  most  passages  ;  and  I  always  esteem  it  a  privilege  to  do  so- 
in  private,  or  to  make  the  passage  a  subject  for  a  discourse 
in  public,  if  it  be  suitable  for  such  a  use.    If  you  will  h^vQ 


LIFE    OF    REV.  NATHANIEL    STACY.  391 

the  goodness  to  name  the  passages,  I  will  tell  you  at  once 
whether  I  will  or  will  not  do  it."  He  observed,  "  I  do  not 
propose  them  as  special  objections  to  your  doctrine  ;  but  be- 
lieve they  contain'  very  important  doctrine  which  ought  to  be 
carefully  discussed  and  fully  understood.  I  have  a  great 
desire  to  hear  some  others."  He  then  repeated  the  passages, 
— First,  Acts  4  :  27,  28,  "For,  of  a  truth,  against  thy  holy 
child  Jesus,  whom  thou  hast  anointed,  both  Herod  and  Pon- 
tius Pilate,  with  the  Gentiles  and  the  people  of  Israel,  were 
gathered  together  ;  for  to  do  whatsoever  thy  hand  and  coun- 
sel determined  before  to  be  done."  Second,  Acts  2 :  23, 
"  Him  being  delivered  by  the  determinate  counsel  and  fore- 
knowledge of  God,  ye  have  taken,  and  by  wicked  hands  have 
crucified  and  slain." 

I  felt  not  a  little  surprised  when  he  named  the  texts,  for  I 
had  anticipated  some  passages  about  the  "  tremendous  day  of 
final  judgment  "  or  the  "  awful  retributions  of  eternity."  But 
I  felt  at  once  gratified,  and  a  hope  was  at  once  enkindled  in 
my  soul  that  some  good  might  be  done.  I  thanked  the  Dea- 
con, and  told  him  that  I  should  be  highly  gratified  with  the 
privilege  of  discoursing  upon  those  texts  in  his  presence. 
"  But,"  said  I,  "  I  have  this  day  begun  to  try  to  get  my  fam- 
ily together— part  of  our  furniture  is  here,  and  part  yet  in 
Detroit.  It  will  require  several  days  to  get  in  our  household 
furniture,  and  a^rrange  the  concerns  of  my  family,  so  as  to 
enable  me  to  give  any  attention  'to  study.  And  although  I 
shall  probably  find  nothing,  in  the  re-examination  of  the  texts, 
to  alter  my  opinion  in  regard  to  the  doctrine,  which,  to  my 
mind,  is  very  clear.  Still,  to  do  justice  to  the  subject,  to  you, 
and  to  myself,  a  little  time  for  reflection  and  arrangement  is 
necessary."  "  Oh,  I  am  aware  of  that,"  said  the  Deacon, 
"take  your  own  time,  and  when  you  get  ready,  just  name  it 
to  your  friends,  F.  and  H.,and  they  will  send  me  word  ;  and, 
Providence  permitting,  I  will  come  down." 

In  about  three  weeks  from  that  time,  I  told  our  friends  they 
might  notify  Deacon  W.,  that  on  such  a  Sunday,  (setting  the 
time  two  Sundays  in  advance.)  I  would,  God  willing,  preach 
from  his  texts,  one  in  the  forenoon  and  one  in  the  afternoon. 
i  had,  just  before  this,  set  up  Sunday  evening  lectures,  dis- 
coursing upon  controversial  subjects  ;  such  as  were  deemed^ 
by  Partialists,  insurmountable  objections  to  Universal  Salva- 
tion, and  of  giving  out  my  text  a  week  beforehand  ;    and  it 


393  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

was  producing  considerable  excitement,  and  collecting  large 
congregations  to  the  evening  meetings  ;  and  at  the  request  of 
Mr.  Kellogg,  I  named  to  him  the  text  for  the^ evening  of  that 
day,  that  he  might  inform  the  Deacon,  with  a  hope  that  he 
might  be  induced  to  remain  in  the  evening  and  hear  v»'hat  a 
Universalist  could  say  on  the  parable  of  the  rich  man  and 
Lazarus. 

The  day  arrived,  and  the  Deacon  was  there  in  good  season. 
He  paid  profound  attention  to  the  discourses;  and  after  meet- 
ing, he  took  occasion  to  thank  me  for  compliance  with  his  re- 
quest ;  observing,  "  I  presume  I  have  been  as  attentive  a  hear- 
er as  you  have  had  to-day,  Mr.  Stacy  ;  but  whether  as  profit- 
ed a  one  or  not,  remains  yet  to  be  determined."  "  Well, 
Deacon,"  said  I,  "  I  hope  I  have  been  successful  in  convey- 
tng  my  ideas  to  your  understanding."  "  Oh,  I  understood 
you  well,  1  think ;  you  made  it  very  plain  ;  and,  as  far  as 
I  could  see,  1  agree  with  you  ;  but  I  am  resolved  to  exa- 
mine the  subject  more  thoroughly."  -'Well,  Deacon,  I  be- 
lieve, if  you  will  dispassionately  and  carefully  examine  the 
subject  in  the  light  of  the  Scriptures,  you  will  see  that  the 
inferences  I  have  drawn  are  unavoidable  and  true.  The 
Deacon  felt  so  much  interested  in  his  meeting  through  the 
day,  that  he  concluded  to  stop  with  friend  K.  for  the  night, 
and  attend  the  evening  lecture.  The  evening  discourse  filled 
him  with  astonishment.  It  was  something  new  in  all  its  rela- 
tions— something  he  had  never  before  thought  of;  and  he 
talked  almost  all  night  about  it.  The  next  morning  Mr.  Ful- 
ler put  into  his  hands  "  Smith  on  Divine  Government,"  and 
asked  him  to  read  it.  He  promised  he  would  ;  for  his  feel- 
ings had  become  somewhat  excited,  and  he  felt  now  ready  to 
read  any  thing  that  would  throw  light  on  the  subject.  In 
two  or  three  Sundays  after  this,  the  Deacon  (whose  resi- 
dence was  about  eight  miles  from  Ann  Arbor,)  was  down 
again,  and  attended  meeting  all  day,  without  any  special 
invitation.  A  less  time  again  elapsed,  and  he  was  there 
again ;  and,  from  a  little  conversation  with  him,  I  disco- 
vered that  his  Calvinism  was  a  "  gone  case."  From  that 
time,  he  became  a  constant  attendant ;  and  in  June  follow- 
ing, when  a  church  was  organized,  John  Williams  was 
elected  first  deacon  of  a  Universalist  church. 

Never  was  a  man's  conversion  more  astonishing,  save  that 
of  Saul  of  Tarsus — nor  more  thorough.     He  came  out  into 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  393 

the  full  sunshine  of  eternal  truth,  perfectly  theorized  in  all 
its  branches  ;  no  cloud,  nor  shadow  of  doubt  on  his  mind — 
and  his  rejoicing  was  beyond  measure.  It  constituted  the 
theme  of  his  meditation  by  day  and  by  night,  and  the  sub- 
ject  of  his  conversation  at  all  times,  and  in  all  company. 
'-  Oh,"  said  he,  '•  how  unaccountably  strange  it  is,  that  I  have 
lived  in  darkness  so  long,  when  truth  shines  so  divinely  bright 
on  every  page  of  the  inspired  word  ! — how  much  I  have 
lost !  I  was  happy  in  religion,  at  times,  when  I  could  con- 
temple  on  the  love  of  God  through  Christ,  and  keep  my  theory 
behind  my  back  ;  but  when  that  came  up — when  Calvinism 
presented  itself,  it  cooled  the  ardor  of  my  feelings  ;  it  chilled 
the  blood  in  my  veins,  and  made  me  groan  in  bitterness  of 
soul.  Indeed  I  felt  no  safety  for  myself.  How  could  I 
k?iow  that  I  was  so  happy  as  to  be  a  chosen  vessel  of  mercy  ? 
And  if  I  were,  surely  it  was  not  probable  that  all  whom  I 
loved,  that  even  all  my  own  family  could  share  eternal  glory 
with  me  ;  and  how  could  I  be  reconciled  to  the  eternal  sepa- 
ration, and  to  their  endless  burnings  ?  Oh,  I  was  compelled 
to  banish  the  thoughts  from  my  mind,  as  quick  as  possible,'  to 
save  my  soul  from  despair — from  distraction.  But  now, 
blessed  be  God,  1  have  obtained  permanent  relief  from  those 
agonizing,  tormenting  fears.  I  can  clearly  see  in  the  great 
plan  of  salvation  under  the  Divine  government,  a  safety  for 
myself,  for  my  family,  for  all  I  hold  dear, /or  the  whole  hu- 
manfamily  !  I  see  it  plainly  ;  1  see  it  straight — there  is  no 
darkness  on  the  way,  no  obstruction  in  the  path — I  can  see 
the  third  marked  tree  clear  through  the  woods.  In  my  for- 
mer system,  I  could  never  see  but  one  marked  tree  before 
me  ;  and  when  I  arrived  at  that,  I  was  obliged  to  stop  and 
look,  first  to  the  right,  and  then  to  the  left,  and  had  to  angle 
about,  and  often  to  meet  with  stumps  and  quagmires 'which  I 
had  to  get  around  or  over  as  well  as  possible.  But  now, 
thank  God,  I  can  see  the  third  marked  tree,  as  straight  as  a 
line  can  be  drawn,  and  have  neither  stump  nor  bog  in  my 
way.*' 

Deacon  Williams'  wife,  and  a  majority  of  his  family  were, 
together  with  himself,  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  ; 
and  his  conversion  produced  much  excitement  in  his  family, 
as  well  as  among  the  members  of  the  church  generally.  They 
were  alarmed,  and  called  him  crazy.  He  said  he  gave  them 
some  cause  for  alarm  ;   for   during  nearly  three  months,  he 


394  MEMOIRS   OF   THE 

neither  worked  nor  slept  much,  but  read  and  meditated  day 
and  night.  He  would  say  to  himself,  "  Well,  I  will  now  go 
to  bed  and  sleep."  But  as  soon  as  he  laid  his  head  on  his 
pillow  some  portion  of  Scripture  would  come  into  his  mind, 
and  on  reflecting  upon  it,  others  would  present  themselves  ; 
and  out  of  bed  he  would  bound,  light  his  candle  and  get  his 
Bible,  and  perhaps  before  he  would  again  thmk  of  sleeping, 
the  day  would  break  upon  him. 

And,  to  try  the  strength  and  power  of  his  new  faith,  God, 
in  the  dispensations  of  his  Providence,  brought  him  to  a  test. 
In  the  summer  of  1837,  if  I  mistake  not,  he  was  visited  with 
an  alarming  disease,  vulgarly  called  the  Black-tongue.  His 
tongue  swelled  so  that  it  protruded  from  his  mouth'  and  he 
could  not  speak  a  word  for  several  days,  nor  even  swallow 
any  thing  except  the  purest  liquid,  nor  even  that  without  the 
greatest  difficulty.  He  was  able,  however,  the  whole  time  to 
sit  up,  and  walk  about  his  rooms  ;  but  all  communication, 
even  with  his  own  family,  had  to  be  done,  on  his  part,  by 
writing,  or  by  signs.  He,  as  well  as  his  physicians  and 
friends,  concluded  he  must  die  ;  and  during  this  sickness  he 
arranged  his  temporal  concerns,  made  his  will,  and  as  far  pos- 
sible settled  all  his  business.  I  visited  him  in  the  course  of 
this  trial,  and  though  he  could  not  speak,  he  could  hear,  and 
answer  questions  by  writing.  I  soon  learned  from  him  that 
his  faith  was  not  in  the  least  shaken  ;  indeed,  he  wrote  on  a 
sMp  of  paper  which  he  handed  to  me, — "  I  have  a  desire  to 
again  get  the  use  of  my  tongue,  that  I  may  use  it  more 
faithfully  in  praising  God,  and  proclaiming  his  great  Salva- 
tion." And  it  pleased  God  to  restore  him  again  to  health, 
and  once  more  grant  him  the  use  of  his  tongue. 

As  soon  as  he  was  able  to  ride,  he  was  again  in  his  seat  in 
the  church  ;  and  on  the  first  Sunday  after  his  recovery,  at 
the  close  of  service  he  arose  and  addressed  the  congregation 
with  much  pathos, — "  It  is  a  common  remark,"  he  said, 
"among  the  opposers  of  our  holy  faith,  that  Universalism 
will  do  to  live  by,  but  it  will  not  do  to  die  by  ;  but  I  know 
better,  for  I  have  tried  it."  And  he  continued  saying,  that 
after  he  had  given  up  all  possible  hopes  of  recovery,  his  first 
concern  was  to  make  arrangements  in  regard  to  his  temporal 
business,  and  get  the  care  of  that  from  off  his  mind.  Then 
he  passed,  in  review,  his  whole  life,  and  entered  into  a  close 
and   critical  examination  of  his  religious   creeds  j  first,  his 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  395 

former  creed,  under  which  he  had  passed  the  greatest  part  of 
his  life  ;  and  the  more  he  brought  it  into  the  light  of  the  holy 
Scriptures  the  darker  and  the  more  appaling  its  features  ap- 
peared !  But  on  the  contrary,  the  more  critically  and  close- 
ly he  examined  the  doctrine  of  God's  Universal  Grace,  the 
more  he  tried  it  by  the  unchangeable  word  of  God,  the  brighter 
it  shone,  the  more  glorious  and  worthy  of  God  it  appeared  ; 
"  And  I  know,"  said  he,  with  tears  streaming  from  his  eyes — = 
"  I  know  it  luill  do  to  die  by,  for  I  have  tried  it  !"  And  he  ex- 
horted the  members  of  the  church  to  a  constant  perseverance^ 
and  faithful  obedience  to  the  faith,  and  to  let  their  light  shine 
before  men. 

Deacon  Williams  was  not  an  educated  man,  but  he  was  a 
man  of  a  studious  mind  and  deep  thought,  and  possessed  a 
happy  talent  of  communicating  his  thoughts,  in  his  way,  with 
ease  and  perspicuity  ;  and  he  was  most  faithful  to  his  calling. 
He  would  go  from  place  to  place,  through  his  own  and  the 
adjacent  towns,  and  get  u§, meetings.  And  being  generally 
known — his  acknowledged  piety,  his  proverbial  integrity,  his 
universal  benevolence,  together  with  his  recent,  and  almost 
miraculous  change  of  sentiment,  and  his  untiring  zeal  in  the 
cause  he  had  espoused,  produced  quite  a  general  excitement ; 
and  his  weight  of  character — for  his  life  was  a  living  exem- 
plification of  the  superior  excellency  of  his  faith — gained  him 
an  attentive  hearing  wherever  he  went  ;  and  after  producing 
a  sufficient  interest,  he  would  give  out  an  appointment  for 
me,  generally  naming  the  text  I  should  preach  from.  And 
in  this  way,  for  several  months,  he  kept  as  much  business  on 
my  hands  as  I  could  possibly  attend  to,  and  was  instrumental 
in  introducing  the  doctrine  into  many  places  where  other- 
wise it  would  scarcely  have  gained  a  hearing.  So  thorough- 
ly were  the  church  convinced  of  his  usefulness  in  the  cause 
of  divine  truth,  that  they  voluntarily  offered  him  a  letter, 
testifying  their  approbation  of  his  public  improvements,  arid 
recommending  him  to  the  fellowship  and  kind  attention  of 
the  churches,  societies,  and  brethren,  wherever  God,  in  his 
Providence  should  call  him,  which  he  modestly  accepted  ; 
and  a  few  years  afterwards  the  Association  gave  him  a  letter 
of  fellowship,  as  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel,  which  he  held 
and  honored  until  the  close  of  his  active  and  useful  life. 

The  progress  of  the  doctrine,  the  increase  of  preachers, 
the  organization  of  societies,  and  the  establishment  of  an  as- 


396  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

sociation  in  the  State,  alarmed  the  clergy.  Tlie  wholi^ 
country  was  full  of  them,  of  all  the  Partialist  denominations  ; 
and  they  came  out,  not  in  open  and  manlv  controversy,  but 
with  misrepresentations,  slanders,  and  denunciations,  and  vir- 
ulent condemnations  of  the  doctrine,  both  in  their  pulpits 
where  they  felt  safe  from  attack,  and  in  private  circles  where 
they  felt  pretty  sure  they  would  meet  with  no  well-informed 
Universalist ;  and  quite  an  excitement  on  the  subject  pre- 
vailed through  all  the  surrounding  country,  among  almost 
all  classes  of  people. 

After  the  transaction  of  the  business  of  the  society,  in  Ann 
Arbor,  at  the  annual  meeting  in  March,  1837,  Mr.  Fuller 
arose  and  addressed  the  meeting,  in  substance,  as  follows  : — 
''I  wish  to  have  something  done  that  will  stop  the  mouths  of 
gainsayers,  and  silence  the  tongue  of  slander  which  is  busy 
and  loud  against  us  from  every  quarter.  I  can  not  walk  the 
streets  without  meeting  with  some  ridiculous  assault  from 
some  ignorant  block-head  on  the  siijj^ject  of  a  doctrine  which 
lie  knows  nothing  about,  and  is  too  shallow-pated,  or  too 
superstitious,  to  learn.  I  am  willing  to  meet  an  honorable 
antagonist,  and  am  ready  to  defend  the  doctrine,  if  I  can  have 
a  fair  opportunity  ;  but  this  is  not  allowed.  The  clergy  will 
ensconce  themselves  behind  the  ramparts  of  their  own  pul- 
pits, where  they  have  no  fears  of  a  reply,  and  there  discharge 
their  volleys  of  slander  and  misrepresentation,  and  furnish 
their  ignorant  and  superstitious  hearers  with  missiles  to  dart 
at  every  gentleman  they  meet,  who  may  chance  to  favor  the 
doctrine  of  Universal  grace.  I  want  to  let  them  have  a 
chance  for  open  and  manly  combat,  if  they  dare  to  enter  the 
arena.  In  a  word,  I  want  the  glove  thrown  down,  and  let 
r.hem  take  it  up,  if  they  dare." 

I  replied  :  "  Brethren,  I  am  willing  ;  nay,  I  should  esteem 
it  a  privilege  to  have  an  opportunity  to  defend  the  doctrine  of 
the  Great  Salvation,  in  a  public  discussion  with  any  clergy- 
man of  ability,  in  good  standing  with  his  religious  sect,  who 
feels  disposed  to  enter  upon  such  a  contest ;  or  to  meet  him 
m  any  other  form,  upon  reciprocal  arranizements  ;  but  I  have 
never  given  a  challenge.  I  have  conscientiously  avoided  it; 
but  I  should  never  refuse  accepting  one,  if  given  by  an  hon- 
orable  antagonist."  "  I  do  not  want  you  to  give  a  challenge," 
Ml.  F.  said  ;  "  but  I  want  this  society,  at  this  meeting,  to  pass 
a  resolution  requesting  you  to  give  an  invitation  to  the  clergy. 


LIFE    QF   REV.  NATHANIEL    STACY.  397 

in  Ann  Arbor,  to  enter  into  a  fair,  Christian,  and  arnica- 
ble  discussion  of  the  distinguishing  doctrines  of  your  sects, 
that  is,  endless  punishment  and  universal  salvation,  upon  re- 
ciprocal grounds.  To  offer  them  the  use  of  this  house  to 
preach  against  the  doctrine  of  Universalism,  and  vindicate 
that  of  endless  misery,  provided  they  will  give  you  an  oppor- 
tunity of  replying  in  their  presence,  and  engage  to  use  their 
influence  to  have  their  hearers  also  attend  ;  or,  for  you  to  de- 
liver a  discourse  in  either  of  their  desks  in  proof  of  your 
doctrine,  and  let  them  have  the  opportunity  of  replying ;  or, 
should  it  pkase  them  better,  to  hold  an  oral  discussion  with 
either  or  all  of  tiiem,  upon  fair  and  equitable  principles." 
"  Well,"  I  said,  "  if  the  society  pass  such  a  resolution,  I 
shall  certainly  comply  with  it,  if  my  life  and  health  are 
spared.  ^^ 

The  following  preamble  and  resolution  were  consequently 
drawn  up  and  passed  by  the  unanimous  voice  of  the  society  ; 
and  that,  with  the  article  annexed,  was  immediately  publish- 
ed  in  both  newspapers  printed  in  the  village,  the  "  State  Jour- 
nal" and  "  Michigan  Argus." 

'*'  Resolution  passed  by  the  first  Universalist  society  in  Ann 
Arbor,  at  their  annual  meeting  on  the  27th  of  March,  1837. 

"  Whereas,  There  is  excitement  manifested  on  the  doc- 
trine of  final  restitution  by  the  orthodox  clergy  in  general, 
and  especially  in  this  region ;  and  its  demoralizing  and  de- 
generate tendency  made  the  subject  of  pulpit  declamation, 
not  only  in  their  revival  meetings,  but  also  ordinarily  on  the 
Sabbath ;  and 

"  Whereas,  The  members  of  this  society  feel  as  deeply 
interested  in  knowing  the  truth  as  others  can  feel ;  and  being 
sensible  of  the  imperfection  of  man — of  the  powerful  influ- 
ences of  the  prejudices  of  education  on  his  judgment- — and 
also  of  his  liability  to  form  opinions  hastily  and  inconsider- 
ately ;  and  feeling  not  disposed  to  affirm  dogmatically,  with- 
out a  fair  and  liberal  investigation,'  that  they  will  continue  to 
maintain  and  support  the  doctrine  they  now  verily  believe  to 
be  the  truth  of  God,  whether  right  or  wrong,  and  consequently 
shun  all  further  investigation  of  the  interesting  and  important 
subject ;  therefore 

"  Resolved,  That  this  society  respectfully  request  Mr. 
Stacy,  their  present  pastor,  cordially  to  invite  the  clergymeif 
of  Ann  Arbor  to  enter  into  a  candid  and  Christian  investiga- 


398  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

tion  of  the  doctrine-;  and  to  offer  them  the  use  of  the  Uni* 
versalist  church  for  that  purpose,  provided  that  he  shall  have 
the  privilege  of  replying  to  them  in  their  presence  ;  or  to 
meet  them,  upon  reciprocal  principles,  in  their  own  houses  of 
worship— *and  that  this  invitation  he  given  through  the  medi- 
um of  the  public  journals  published  in  this  village.*' 

^'To  the  Rev.  Messrs.  *Beach,  fMarks,  :|:Calclazer,  and 
§  Miller,  clergymen  of  Ann  Arbor  : 
"  Gentlemen  :  My  apology  for  addressing  you  in  this  way 
is  found  in  the  foregoing  resolution.  Nothing  else  conceiv- 
able can  be  so  desirable,  to  the  seriously  inquiring  mind  of 
mortal  man,  as  a  knowledge  of  religious  truth,  and  no  exer- 
tions more  commendable  than  endeavors  to  attain  it.  And 
while  such  a  variety  of  opinions  are  published  to  the  world 
as  religious  truth,  and  so  many  of  them  so  directly  opposed 
to  it,  and  irreconcilable  to  each  other,  all  professedly  having 
their  foundations  laid  in  the  oracles  of  God,  and  advocated 
hy^  honest  and  conscientious  believers,  and  professedly  in- 
structed  and  '  called'  preachers  of  the  '  everlasting  Gospel,' 
it  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  reasonable  things  in  the  world, 
that  the  honest  inquirer  after  truth  should  desire  to  hear  a 
charitable  and  candid  discussion  of  those  discordant  opinions, 
and  an  investiga^tion  of  their  respective  claims  on  divine  au- 
thority for  support ;  and  it  is  by  no  means  strange  that  they 
should  invite  the  professional  advocates  of  these  different  opin- 
ions  to  a  conference. 

"It  is  but  justice  to  the  society  and  to  myself  to  say,  that 
the  resolution  originated  not  with  myself,  nor  was  it  procured 
through  my  influence  with  the  society  ;  but  it  unquestionably 
originated  in  the  sincere  desire  of  the  members  of  the  society 
themselves  for  the  knoioledge  and  propagation  of  the  truth, 
as  it  is  in  Jesus.  And  although  they  verily  believe  the  doc- 
trine they  now  profess  to  be  the  truth  of  God,  yet  knowing 
XhQ.i  truth  can  never  suffer  by  investigation,  and  realizing  that 
nothing  but  truth  can  be  of  any  moral  benefit  to  them  or  to 
the  world,  they  are  not  only  willing,  but  desirous  of  sub- 
mitting it  to  the  most  rigid  and  critical  investigation. 

"  Nor  is  the  subject  a  matter  of  indifference  with  myself. 
Many  years  have  rolled  over  my  head,  and  I  feel  myself 
standing  upon  the  verge  of  the  eternal  world.     The  subject 

*Pre3byterian.    tEpiscopalian.    tMethodist.    <5>Bapti3t. 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STAGY.  399 

q1  religion  has  been  dear  to  my  heart  from  my  youth  up. 
And  with  the  feeble  powers  God  hath  given  me — with  the 
means  He  hath  kindly  placed  within  my  reach,  I  have  sought 
for  Truth,  as  for  the  '  One  thing  needful,'  and  trust  in  God 
that  I  have  found  it.  I  believe,  without  the  shadow  of  a 
doubt,  in  the  final  'Restitution  of  all  things  which  God  hath 
spoken  by  the  mouths  of  all  his  holy  prophets,  since  the  world 
began  ;'  I  believe  it  to  be  expressly  revealed  in  the  word  of 
God,  (without  contradiction,)  which  has  been  a  subject  of  my 
meditation  and  prayerful  examination  for  more  than  thirty- 
five  years.  And  I  hesitate  not  to  say,  that  with  critical  ex- 
amination, and  increase  of  years,  my  faith  strengthens,  that 
'  The  God  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Father  of  glory,' 
will,  in  the  fulness  of  time,  and  by  his  own  appointed  means, 
bring  the  whole  wandering  posterity  of  Adam  to  a  state  of 
holiness  and  happiness  immortal. 

"And  so  far  from  this  faith  having  an  immoral  tendency, 
I  believe  it  is  the  only  safe  doctrine  to  carry  fully  into  prac- 
tice. But  stil!  it  is  irreligious  presumption  in  any  man,  to 
say  that  he  'positively  knows  aught  that  passes  beyond  the 
curtains  of  time  :'  'We  walk  by  faith,  and  not  by  sight;* 
hence  the  reasonableness  and  the  importance  of  keeping  up 
a  constant  inquiry  after  truth  ;  and  the  man  who  convinces 
me  of  an  important  error  in  my  religious  faith,  confers  on 
me  an  invaluable  favor,  and  lays  me  under  a  debt  of  ever- 
lasting  gratitude. 

"  Therefore,  in  obedience  to  the  request  of  the  society,  1 
respectfully  and  affectionately  invite  you,  brethren,  any  or 
all  of  you,  to  enter  upon  the  glorious  work  ;  and  offer  you 
the  use  of  the  Universalist  church,  in  this  village,  for  that 
purpose.  You  may  preach  a  discourse  against  the  doctrine 
of  Universal  Salvation,  or  in  support  of  endless  misery, 
which  are  the  great  questions  between  us  ;  and  I  will  reply 
in  your  presence,  and  in  the  presence  of  the  congregation,  or 
as  many  of  them  as  are  disposed  to  hear,  either  immediately, 
or  at  an  appointed  time,  as  circumstances  may  warrant ;  and 
we  will  repeat  the  exercises  from  day  to  day,  or  from  time  to 
time,  as  long  as  it  may  seem  good  to  you  and  to  the  people  to 
attend.  Or  if  it  please  you  better,  I  will  deliver  a  discourse 
in  either  of  your  places  of  worship,  in  proof  of  the  doctrine 
I  believe,  provided  you  will  use  your  influence  to  have  your 
ordinary  hearers  attend,  and  you  shall  have  the  privilege  of 


400  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

replying.  0*r,  if  it  still  better  suit  you,  we  will  hold  a  pub- 
lic discussion,  and  each  alternately  speak  on  a  question  in- 
volving the  main  doctrinal  point  of  difference  between  us, 
endless  punishment  or  universal 'holiness  and  happiness,  under 
such  regulations  as  we  may  mutually  agree  upon. 

"  I  can  not  persuade  myself,  brethren,  that  you  will  neglect 
the  present  respectful  invitation  ;  but  you  will  avail  your- 
selves  of  the  opportunity  now  offered,  in  the  good  providence 
of  God,  to  discharge  an  imperious  and  solemn  duty  you  owe 
to  God  and  man,  by  exposing  a  radical  error,  in  your  own  es- 
timation,  which,  undoubtedly,  you  honestly  believe,  involves 
infinite  consequences  ;  and  of  using  your  arguments  and  in- 
fluence to  undeceive  the  bewildered,  and  snatch  a  desiring 
people  from  the  vortex  of  endless  and  irretrievable  perdition. 

"  I  await  your  reply  in  such  a  way  as  may  suit  your  con- 
venience. And  with  all  due  respect,  and  Christian  charity, 
1  am,  gentlemen, 

"  Your  obedient  servant,  for  Christ's  sake, 

"N.  Stacy." 

Within  a  few  days  after  the  annual  meeting  of  the  society, 
at  which  the  resolution  was  passed,  the  foregoing  article,  ver- 
batim, appeared  in  both  the  newspapers  published  in  Ann  Ar- 
bor.  It  produced  much  excitement,  and  elicited  many  opin- 
ions  in  regard  to  the  final  result ;  but  the  clergy  were  quiet 
as  pampered  babes.  I  was  personally  acquainted  with  all  of 
them,  and  occasionally,  during  this  period,  passed  a  compli- 
ment with  them  ;  but  not  one  word  escaped  their  lips  to  me  on 
the  subject.  An  old  Baptist  Elder,  residing  in  a  neighboring 
town,  said  to  me  one  day,  "  I  have  seen  your  invitation  to  the 
clergy  of  Ann  Arbor."  "  Well,  what  do  you  think  of  it, 
Elder  T."  "  I  think  it  is  a  very  reasonable  and  Christian- 
like invitation  ;  I  don't  see  how  the  clergy  can  get  around  it, 
and  not  accept." 

I  could  hear  it  whispered  round  that  the  clergy  held  meet- 
ings in  conclave,  on  the  subject ;  that  Mr.  Beach,  the  Pres- 
byterian, proposed  to  accept  of  the  invitation,  and  wrote  to  a 
distant  clergyman  on  the  subject,  who  advised  him  to  be  still. 
But  I  will  not  vouch  for  the  truth  of  any  of  these  reports. 
At  any  rate,  nothing  was  said,  or  written  to  me,  nor  to  the 
society  on  the  subject ;  and  after  a  few  weeks  the  excitement 
died  away.  I  waited  between  two  and  three  months  ;  a  suf- 
ficient time,  in  all  conscience,  for  the  clergy  to  make  up  their 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL   STAGY.  401 

minds  about  it,  and  then  came  out  with  the  following  article, 
which  was  also  published  in  the  "  State  Journal,"  and  also, 
at  my  request,  copied  into  the  "  Argus  :" 
"  E.  Lawrence,  Esq.,  Editor  of  the  '  State  Journal :' 
'^  Dear  Sir  :  Will  you  have  the  goodness  to  give  the  fol- 
lowing a  single  insertion  ?  It  is  far  from  my  design  to  invite, 
or  to  wish,  a  religious  discussion  in  the  columns  of  the  Jour- 
nal. I  know  full  well  that  it  would  be  discordant  with  the 
design  and  character  of  the  paper,  and  would  be  dissatisfac- 
tory to  your  patrons.  But  inasmuch  as  a  respectful  invitation 
to  the  clergy  of  this  village,  to  enter  into  an  honorable,  and 
charitable,  and  Christian  investigation  of  those  doctrines  that 
are  being  published  to  the  world  as  religious  truth,  for  the 
benefit  of  an  inquiring  community,  has  been  given  through 
the  columns  of  the  Journal,  by  your  sufferance  and  kindness, 
and  the  clergy  have  seen  fit  to  pay  no  attention  to  it  what- 
ever— I  sincerely  wish,  as  a  lover  of  the  souls  and  bodies  of 
men,  to  give  the  people  as  fair  an  opportunity  as  the  circum- 
stances will  render  possible,  to  hear  an  investigation  of  the 
ail-important  subject. 

"  Very  respectfully  yours,         N.  Stacy."' 


:■> 


"  It  will  be  remembered,  at  least,  by  those  who  felt  suffi- 
ciently interested,  (and  surely  nothing  should  more  deeply  in- 
terest the  human  family  than  an  inquiry  into  religious  truth,) 
that,  in  the  '  State  Journal'  of  April  6th,  in  conformity  with  a 
resolution  passed  in  annual  meeting  of  the  first  Universalist 
societ}'-  in  Ann  Arbor,  in  March  last,  a  friendly,  respectful, 
and  affectionate  invitation  was  given  to  the  clergy  of  this  vil- 
lage, to  enter,  upon  honorable  and  liberal  terms,  into  an  in-* 
vestigation  of  the  dootrines  of  Endless  Punishment,  and  Uni- 
versal Salvalion  ;  and  to  try,  by  all  the  means  Heaven  has 
placed  within  our  reach,  the  respective  claims  of  each  on  di- 
vine authority  for  support.  Nearly  three  months  have  rolled 
away,  and  nothing  has  been  heard  from  any  of  the  gentle- 
men addressed  on  the  important  subject.  The  feelings  of 
those  who  are  honestly  and  seriously  seeking  after  truth — who 
are  sincere  in  their  jyrqfessions,  are  not  satisfied.  If  the  end- 
less destiny  of  man  depends  on  his  religious  faith  in"  this 
world — and  such  is  the  uniform  representation  of  the  clergy 
— and  the  clergy  are  truly  sincere  in  their  professions  of  the 
love  of  souls — if  they  view  them  in  such  imminent  danger  of 
z 


402  MEMOIRS   OF    THE 

endless  perdition  in  consequence  of  heretical  opiniong;  and 
honestly  believe  that  those  errors  are  so  easily  exposed,  and 
the  whole  system  so  readily  exploded  as  they  pretend — ^the 
people  are  at  a  great  loss  to  account  for  their  supineness  and 
indifference  ;  especially  when  so  fair  an  opportunity  has  been 
offered  them ;  and  when  they  certainly  knoiu  that  truth  can 
never  suffer  by  investigation — that  it  is  error  and  evil  only 
that '  hateth  the  light,'  while  '  he  that  doeth  the  truth  cometh 
to  the  light,  that  his  deeds  may  be  made  manifest  that  they 
are  wrought  in  God.' 

"  But  we  wish  once  more  to  bring  this  subject  before  the 
public — ^we  have  not  yet  done  with  it.  Having  waited  a  suf- 
iic-ient  time  for  the  clergy  to  make  up  their  minds  on  the  sub- 
ject, and  hearing  nothing  from  them— and  feeling  an  ardent 
desire  for  the  knowledge  and  advancement  of  religious  truth, 
we  propose,  and  wish  hereby  to  give  notice  to  the  clergy  and 
•.he  public,  that  we  design  to  enter  into  the  investigation  our- 
selves.  Consequently,  if  God  permit,  a  course  of  lectures 
will  be  commenced  in  the  Universalist  church,  on  Sunday, 
the  22d  day  of  July  next,  at  5  o'clock  p.  m,,  and  continue 
from  Sunday  to  Sunday,  as  long  as  the  object  shall  require, 
embracing  the  following  topics  : 

"•  1st,  A  scriptural  illustration  and  defence  of  the  doctrine 
of  Universal  holiness  and  happiness. 

"  2d.  Removal  of  objections  founded  on  the  representation 
of  its  immoral  and  licentious  tendency  ;  in  which  it  v/ill  be 
shown  that  it  is  not  only  not  immoral  in  its  tendency,  but  that 
it  is  the  only  theory  of  religion  which  can  be  safely  carried 
fully  into  practice. 

•  "3d.  Removal  of  objections  founded  on  the  particular  con- 
struction of  certain  passages  of  Scripture  which,  according 
to  their  ordinary  application,  are  supposed  to  be  irreconcila- 
ble  therewith.  On  this  departmentof  the  lectures,  both  friendes 
and  opposers  of  the  doctrine  are  invited  to  present  such  pas- 
sages as  they  wish  to  have  brought  under  examination,  with 
the  assurance  that  if  presented  with  a  spirit  of  candor,  they 
shall  receive  all  the  attention  that  the  ability  of  the  writer  is 
able  to  give  them,  in  the  fear  of  God. 

•"  4th.  An  examination  of  the  orthodox  doctrines  of  Chris- 
tianity, so  called — showing, 

"  1st.  Their  irreconcilability  with  the  revealed  character 
«nd  perfections  of  God. 


LIFE    OF   REV.  NATHANIEL    STACY.  403 

"2d.  Their  irreconcilability  with  the  clearest  testimonies 
of  Divine  revelation — -and, 

"3d.  Their  demoralizing  and  dangerous  tendency  upon 
human  society. 

•'Those  who  feel  interested  are  affectionately  invited  to  at- 
tend ;  and  they  may  rest  assured,  that  by  Divine  assistance, 
the  whole  shall  be  treated  with  all  that  candor,  charity,  and 
forbearance  that  the  nature  and  solemnity  of  the  subject  re- 
quires. N.  Stacy. 

"  Ann  Arbor,  June  17,  1837." 

This  last  brought  out  the  Episcopalian  clergyman,  in  two 
articles  ;  first  in  the  "  State  Journal,"  and  second,  in  the 
'«  Michigan  Argus."  And  in  justice  to  Mr.  Marks,  as  well 
as  to  all  concerned — and  to  show  the  feelings  and  the  man. 
ners  of  the  man,  I  feel  under  obligation  to  record  them. 

The  following  appeared  in  the  "  State  Journal"  of  July 
sixth : 

"  Mr.  Editor  :  Mr.  Stacy  has  spoken  twice  of  the  clergy 
of  Ann  Arbor,  in  your  paper,  relative  to  discussing  the  doc- 
trine of  endless  punishment.  In  the  second  communication 
he  says,  '  We  wish  once  more  to  bring  this  subject  before 
the  public.  Having  waited  a  sufficient  time  for  the  clergy  to 
make  up  their  minds  on  the  subject,  and  hearing  nothing 
from  them,  and  feeling  an  ardent  desire  for  the  knowledge 
and  advancement  of  religious  truth,  we  propose  and  wish  to 
give  notice  to  the  public,  that  we  design  to  enter  into  the  in- 
vestigation ourselves.' 

"If  Mr.  Stacy  has  such  an  '  ardent  desire  for  the  know- 
ledge of  the  truth'  as  he  professes  to  have,  I  for  one  of  the 
clergy,  will  use  aU  possible  means  for  his  indoctrination,  pro- 
vided he  will  seek  it  as  all  pupils  do,  by  resorting  to  my  own 
kind  house.  I  have  a  Greek  grammar,  Testament,  and 
Parkhurst's  Lexicon  ;  but  if  he  should  change  the  scene  and 
say,  I  come  in  the  character  of  a  teacher,  to  instruct  the  be- 
nighted ministers -of  Ann  Arbor,  in  the  principles  of  theolo- 
gy, I  wish  him  to  know,  that  I  have  made  the  writers  of 
olden  times  my  masters,  and  am  perfetly  easy  in  my  mind. 
I  wish  not  to  be  considered  one  of  that  number,  who  are  ever 
iearninsT,  and  newer  come  to  the  knowledfje  of  the  truth.  It 
is  often  said  by  opponents,  I  am  open  to  conviction  ;  but,  I  fear, 
that  so  great  is  the  opening  of  the  mind,  that  the  truth  goes 
through  without  any  effect. 


404  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

"  I  shall  not,  ^Ir.  Editor,  compliment  Mr.  Stagey  for  tiie  ap- 
parently kind  style  of  his  piece.  Well-bred  gentlemen  al- 
ways challenge  their  opponents  to  single  combat,  in  the  most 
courtly  manner.  *  ff^  Were  it  not  sir,  for  several  amiable 
gentlemen  whose  misf3rtune  I  deem  it  to  be  of  Mr.  Stacy's 
way  of  thinking,  and  for  whom  I  entertain  the  highest  and 
kindest  regard,  I  assure  you  sir,  I  would  not  put  you  to  the 
trouble  of  putting  these  lines  into  type.  From  the  formal 
manner  in  which  the  challenge  was  got  up,  it  would  appear 
that  the  downright  theological  mui'der  of  the  clergy  was  in- 
tended. It  would  be  uncourteous  treatment  of  the' framers 
of  the  resolution  'passed  in  annual  meeting  of  the  first  Uni- 
versalist  society  in  Ann  Arbor,  in  ]\Iarch  last,'  to  discuss  'the 
doctrines  of  endless  punishment  and  Universal  Salvation,'  to 
pass  it  over  without  notice.  In  a  hasty  manner  I  give  the 
reason  for  not  entering  upon  the  debate,  although  at  the  same 
time,  it  is  in  the  face  of  my  better  judgment ;  and  it  is  more 
than  probable,  will  cause  me  to  be  faulted  by  my  con-grega- 
tion  for  giving  this  brief  notice  in  your  'Journal.' 

"  Were  men,  my  dear  sir,  fully  aware  of  the  extent  of  their 
transgressions  agamst  a  holy  God,  there  would  be  less  won- 
der that  they  should  sutfer  eternally  for  sin  ;  and  more,  that 
the  Deity  could,  or  would  do  otherwise  than  condemn  thenit 
to  perpetual  banishment  from  his  presence,  and  the  holy  an- 
gels. Painful  as  this  truth  may  be,  to  those  who  differ  from, 
me  on  this  subject,  (the  reiterated  challenge  is  certainly  to- 
blame  for  it)  I  will  not  suffer  the  present  opportunity  to  pass 
v/ithout  a  strong  expression  of  my  opinion.  I  doubt  whether 
the  scheme  of  Universal  Salvation,  as  inculcated,  be  not  far 
more  dangerous  than  open  Deism  itself.  It  does  not  shock, 
u.s,  like  barefaced  infidelity  ;.  we  feel  no  pain,  and  suspect  no- 
evil,  while  it  stands  like  'water  into  our  bowels,'  like  '  oil  in- 
to our  bones.'  Reason  teaches  us  that  God  may  punish  sin- 
ners'as  long  as  they  continue  to  sin,  and  there  is  no  reason 
to  suppose  that  those  who  die  impenitent  will  never  produce  O; 
holy  one.  Sinners,  too,  will  always  deserve  to  be  punished. 
God  may,  therefore,  punish  them  for  ever.  With  respect  to 
the  duration  of  future  punishment,  mankind  are  not  proper 
judges,  for  they  know  not  the  full  demerit  of  sin.  This,  God 
alone  can  determine,  and  he  speaks  of  it  in  the  Scriptures  as 
'  eternal,'  '  for  ever,'  '  for  ever  and  ever.'      We  must  there- 


I  have  added  the  index,  because  I  thought  the  sentiment  deserved  it.  N.  S. 


LIFE    OF   REV.  NATHANIEL    STACY.  405 

fore  renounce  the  Bible,  or  believe  the  doctrine  of  endless  fu- 
ture punishment.  My  object  sir,  in  this  article,  is  to  say,  that 
li  is  not  fear  of  being  unable  to  sustain  the  doctrine  of  end- 
less punishment,  that  I,  as  one  of  the  four  clergy  challenged 
to  enter  the  arena  with  Mr.  Stacy,  declined.  No,  sir,  I  act  by 
the  counsel  of  one  competent  to"  advise  in  such  matters  ;  '  the 
beginning  of  strife  is  as  when  one  letteth  out  water  ;  there- 
for'e,  leave  off  contention.'  When,  Mr.  Editor,  the  proverb 
says,  '  before  it  be  meddled  with'— I  am  now,  thank  God,  so 
far  as  I  know,  on  good  and  pleasant  terms  with  Christians  of 
other  than  my  own  communion,  and,  as  far  as  it  is  possible, 
mean  to  live  peaceably  with  all  men.  I  shall  not  be  the  first 
to  otTer  a  lance,  nor  will  I  fear,  on  a  suitable  occasion,  to  break 
over  with  an  aggression.  It  does  not  appear  to  me,  that  the 
village  of  Ann  Arbor  is  in  any  great  danger,  from  the  incul- 
cation of  anti-endless  punishment  doctrine.  For  one,  1  can 
truly  say,  that  I  have  unbounded  confidence  in  the  good  sense 
of  young  ladies  and  gentlemen  ;  and  believe  that  it  will  be 
very  difficult  to  turn  from  their  course  the  senior  part  of  com- 
munity ;  therefore,  I  conclude  that  it  is  best  to  let  well  enough 
alone,  and  that  a  defence  of  Scriptural  doctrines,  at  this  Ume, 
is  altogether  uncalled  for.  AVith  good  wishes  for  Mr.  Stacy 
andii  desire  to  be  on  kind  and  good  terms  with  his  congrega- 
tion, I  again  refer  them  to  our  proverb,  as  a  cogent  reason 
for  my  refusal  to  meet  him  in  public  debate.  Of  the  truth 
of  my  doctrine  I  have  not  the  shadow  of  a  doubt^  and  if  any 
doctrine  of  the  Bible  can  be  reduced  to  mathematical  certain- 
ty, that  of  eternal  punishment  may  be.  Fearful  is  that  man's 
responsiblity,  who  has  the  courage  to  say  to  his  congregation, 
in  the  face  of  the  9th  verse  of  the  first  chapter  of  the  second 
of  Thessalonians,  *  Who  shall  be  punished  with  everlasting 
(in  the  Greek  it  is  eternal)  destruction  from  the  presence  of 
the  Lord  and  from  the  glory  of  his  power' — that-eternal  pun- 
ishment is  not  a  Scriptural  doctrine."      "  Yours, 

S.  Marks." 

I  have  transcribed  it  verhatim  et  literatim,  et  pimciiiatm,  as 
it  appeared  in  the  "  Journal." 

The  language  of  the  piece  was  so  ungentlemanly,  so  un- 
civil ;  and  the  attack  upon  Universalism  so  ungenerous,  so 
dastardly,  where  he  knew  he  could  not  receive  a  reply  ; 
where  he  knew  we  had  been  denied,  properly  denied  the  dis- 


406  MEMOIRS    OF   TRZ 

cussion  of  any  doctrinal  question  ;  and  when  he  had  received 
so  fair  and  generous  an  offer — not  a  challenge,  as  he  invid- 
iously called  it,  but  a  brotherly  invitation,  to  come  out  like  a 
man  and  a  Christian,  and  enter  into  an  amicable  and  charita- 
ble investigation  ;  that  I  felt  perfectly  disgusted  when  I  saw  it, 
and  concluded  it  was  entirely  beneath  my  notice.  But  the  very 
next  week  there  came  out  another  article  in  the  '•  Argus," 
over  the  signature  of  S.  Marks,  which  led  me  to  conclude  it 
best,  if  I  could  do  it  in  a  very  brief  article,  to  silence  his 
pen,  and  save  him  from  the  extreme  mortification,  if  he  had 
any  sensibility,  of  reviewing  any  more  such  testimonials  of 
his  own  incivility. 

Here  follows  his  second  article  : 

"  For  the  "  Argus." 
"  I  am  sorry  to  discover,  Mr.  Editor,  that  our  fellow-citi- 
'/en,  Mr.  Stacy,  is  so  determined  upon  the  discussion  of  his" 
doctrines  with  those  he  ironically  calls  the  Orthodox  clergy. 
Mr.  Stacy  has  always  been  represented  to  me,  as  a  very 
worthy  man,  and  so  far  as  my  intercourse  has  gone  with  him, 
I  can  bear  witness  to  his  good  breeding.  I  confess  to  you, 
sir,  that  I  deeply  regret  the  course  he  has  pursued  to\^rd  the 
clergy  of  Ann  Arbor  ;  and  especially  toward  myself.  I 
never  gave  him,  nor  any  of  his  friends,  provocation — that  is, 
I  never  directly  attacked  their  doctrines.  My  intention, 
when  I  came  into  town,  was  to  cultivate  the  friendship  of 
every  man,  woman,  and  child.  Experience  has  taught  me, 
that  without  the  heart  and  confidence  of  community,  a  man 
may  be  as  wise  as  Solomon,  as  meek  as  Moses,  and  as  elo- 
quent as  AppoUos,  without  being  able  to  do  a  particle  of  good. 
1  have  had  nothing  to  do  with  public  discussion  of  any  kind, 
without  the  pale  of  our  church;  nor  do  I  propose  to  have,  un- 
less dire  necessity  brings  me  into  it.  I  consider  a  debate  on 
the  subject  unnecessary  and  uncalled  for.  The  Orthodox 
denominations  are  getting  along  very  well,  and  I,  for  one, 
think  we  should  be  thankful  for  well-enough,  and  let  it  alone. 
The  learned  have  long  since  put  the  question  at  rest — I  should 
have  said  Jesus  Christ,  the  Evangelists,  and  Apostles.  I 
wish  Mr.  Stacy  well.  For  many  of  his  flock,  I  have  a  warm 
and  special  regard.  It  is  not  through  fear  I  abstain,  but 
from  a  firm  belief,  that  my  Master's  cause  would  not  be  ben- 
efited from  the  controversy.     I  conclude  with  an  anecdote  of 


LIFE   OF    REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  407 

Dr. ,  and   a  Restorationist.      The   Restorationist  after 

hearing  the  sermon,  observed — '  I  have  heard  you  preach, 
and  now  I  wish  you  to  prove  your  doctrine. 

"  Dr. — I  thought  I  did  by  the  Bible. 

"  R. — You  had  much  to  say  about  hell  and  eternal  punish- 
ment. 

"  Dr. — Well,  what  do  you  believe  ? 

"  R. — That  a  man  should  lead  a  good  life,  but,  if  he  dies 
impenitent,  he  will  be  punished  according  to  the  deeds  done 
in  the  body,  and  then  go  to  glory. 

"Dr. — Well,  I  believe  in  two  things — first.  That  Jesus 
Christ  died  for  sinners — ^secondly,  That  there  is  a  straight 
road  to  Heaven — now,  if  you  have  a  mind  to  go  through  hell 
to  get  to  heaven,  you  may,  but  I  shall  take  the  straight  road.' 
Every  man  has  his  choice.  "  Yours,        S.  Marks," 

The  next  week,  I  handed  to  the  publisher  of  the  "  Argus," 
the  following,  which  was  immediately  inserted  : 

"  Mr.  Editor, — When  I  first  cast  my  eye  on  the  article 
over  the  signature  of  the  Rev.  S.  Marks,  in  the  last  week's 
Argus,  I  did  not  discover  that  it  demanded  any  more  notice 
from  me  than  his  communication  in  the  Journal  a  few  weeks 
since  ;  as  I  had  no  personal  controversy  with  Mr.  Marks,  nor 
any  expectation  or  wish  to  enter  into  a  religious  discussion 
in  a  political  Journal,  nor  any  more  inclination  for  a  *  news- 
paper  squabble'  than  1  have,  in  my  old  age,  to  become  a  '  pu* 
pil'  to  the  profound  erudition  and  theological  lore  of  the  Rev. 
S.  Marks,  obtained,  doubtless,  from  his  '  masters  of  olden 
times,'  probably  of  the  eleventh  or  twelvth  century,  in  his 
*  own  kind  house'  where  '  all  pupils'  get  their  instruction  ; 
but  on  looking  it  over  a  second  time,  I  discovered  an  insinua. 
lion  which  might  mislead  a  stranger,  and  therefore  beg  leave 
to  correct  it. 

"  Mr.  Marks  saj^s,  *  I  deeply  regret  the  course  he  (myself) 
has  pursued  toward  the  clergy  in  Ann  Arbor,  and  especially 
toward  myself  ;'^  as  though  my  course  ha4  been  marked  with 
some  egregious  impropriety  toward  all  the  clergy,  but  more 
especially  toward  him.  Now  in  regard  to  what  he  alludes  to, 
Mr.  Marks  knows  that  my  course  toward  him  has  been 
marked  with  no  peculiar  characteristic  to  distinguish  it  from 
that  toward  the  others,  unless  it  be  forbearance. 

"  My  personal  acquaintance  with  the  clergy  of  Ann  Arbor 


405  MEMOIRS   OF    THE 

has  been  very  limited,  and  my  intercourse,  as  far  as  I  knot?'^ 
perfectly  harmonious ;  for  it  has  consisted  simply  in  a  pass- 
ing  compliment,  except  in  two  or  three  instances,  and  those  of 
the  most  friendly  kind.  I  have,  indeed,  spoken  to  them 
through  the  Journal,  not  twice,  as  Mr.  Marks  says,  but  once  ; 
and  that  in  obedience  to  the  earnest  request  of  my  friends, 
and  in  discharge  of  a  solemn  duty  I  owed  to  God  on  their  be- 
half. And  I  now  challenge — I  have  not  challenged  before-^- 
but  I  now  challenge  Mr.  Marks  and  the  world,  to  point  out,  in 
that  address,  a  single  disrespectful  word,  one  uncandid,  ar- 
rogant, unpolite,  unchristian,  or  uncharitable  expression.  I 
spake  as  I  felt,  as  far  as  I  could  find  words  to  express  my 
feelings ;  for  the  subject  was  a  momentous  one,  and  of  equal- 
ly deep  interest  to  my  friends,  to  myself,  to  the  clergy,  and  to 
the  whole  human  family.  But  with  Mr.  Marks,  I  have  had 
very  Itttle  personal  intercourse  whatever,  either  in  private  or 
in  public.  1  am  not  conscious  of  ever  having  treated  him 
unpolitely,  or  of  ever  having  spoken  of  him  to  others,  either 
in  private,  or  in  a  public  neicspaper,  disrespectfu<lly,  not  even 
so  much  as  to  represent  him  totally  beneath  my  notice,  were  he 
not  associated  luiih  others  much  more  respectable  than  himself  ; 
but  have  hitherto  entertained  for  him  the  most  kind  and  chari- 
table feelings.  And  notwithstandincr  I  am  led  to  reo;ret  he 
has  not  given  so  high  an  evidence  of  his  Christian  candor, 
meekness,  and  charity,  as  I  could  desire,  I  am  resolved  to 
cherish  still  no  other  sentiment  toward  him.  And  v/hile  I 
readily  accord  to  Br.  Marks  the  unquestionable  right  of 
*  choice,'  I  do  most  devoutly  pray — and  pray  in  the  full  as- 
surance of  faith — that  he  may  ultimately  '  choose  the  path  of 
heavenly  truth'  and  wisdom,  w^hich  is  a  sovereign  remedy  for 
imperious  arrogance,  which  leads  to  Christian  meekness  and 
humility,  and  which  is  the  only  '  straight  road'  to  heaven  :^ 
and  that  we  may  yet  unite  in  songs  of  grateful  praise  with  a 
redeemed  world.  '•'  Very  respectfully  yours, 

"  N.  Stacy. 
'•July  25th,  1S37." 

From  this  time  1  heard  no  more  from  the  reverend  gentle- 
man ;  he  even  appeared  to  shun  me.  If  I  were  likely  to 
meet  him  on  the  side-walk,  he  invariably  found  business  on 
the  other  side  of  the  street  ;  whereas,  he  had  formerly  met 
me  with  a  smilinn^  countenance  and  a  warm  hand.     Not  long 


LIFE   OF    REV.  NATHANIEL   STACY.  409 

after  this,  I  called  at  his  house  on  business  sent  from  Mr. 
Morse,  of  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  which  more  properly  belonged 
to  him  than  to  myself;  but  he  was  not  at  home.  Short- 
ly after,  I  happened  to  meet  him  at  the  door  of  a  store  which  I 
was  entering  the  moment  he  was  coming  out,  and  got  hold  of 
his  hand — ^but  it  was  a  cold  one — and-  reminded  him  of  my 
call,  requesting  him  to  return  it,  and  interest  himself  in  the 
business  I  called  about.  That  was  the  last  time  I  recollect  of 
ever  speaking  with  him  ;  not  long  afterwards  he  left  Ann  Ar- 
bor, and  another  clergyman  supplied  the  desk. 

Notwithstanding  the  ebullition  of  Mr.  Marks'  feelings — 
for  he  was  the  only  individual  I  ever  heard  of,  either  clergy- 
man or  layman,  who  ever  attached  any  incivility,  blame,  or 
uncharitable  or  unchristian  conduct  to  the  society,  or  my- 
self, in  regard  to  the  proposed  investigation — I  pursued  my 
course,  unawed  by  his  frowns  and  unannoyed  by  any  further 
interference  from  any  quarter,  and,  agreeably  to  the  notice 
given,  commenced  a  series  of  lectures  which  were  continued 
until  thirty  were  delivered.  They  excited  much  interest 
and  were  well  attended.  In  the  course  of  the  third  depart- 
ment, several  passages  of  Scripture  were  presented  which 
were  carefully  investigated — indeed  the  whole  course  re- 
ceived more  than  ordinary  attention  and  care,  and  were  all 
fully  written  out  ;  so  that  in  case  of  misunderstandi%,  or 
controversy,  we  might  refer  to  the  notes,  and  re-examine  the 
subject.  Their  publication  was  called  for,  but  a  want  of 
means,  and  a  consciousness  that  there  was  nothing  very  ex- 
traordinary in  them,  has,  thus  far,  excluded  them  from  pub- 
lic notice  ;  although  I  should  have  been  perfectly  willing  to 
have  submitted  them  to  public  examination,  as  they  fully 
contain  my  theory  of  religion,  as  clearly  as  I  could  explain 
it ;  my  mode  of  defending  the  doctrine  of  the  Great  Salva- 
tion, and  my  views  of  the  unscripturality  and  absurdity  of 
the  leading  doctrines  of  Partialism.  One  of  the  lectures, 
that  on  Heb.  9  :  27,  28,  was  printed  at  the  request  and  ex- 
pense of  my  friends,  during  the  season  of  a  protracted  meet- 
ing  of  the  Partialist  denominations  in  Ann  Arbor,  and  handed 
freely  about  among  clergymen  and  laymen ;  but  it  never 
elicited  any  reply,  nor  any  particulur  remarks  from  oppo- 
sers,  that  I  ever  heard  of.  But  the  whole  course  we  pursued 
evidently  resulted  in  good  ;  not  only  in  extending  and  diffu- 
sing the  knowledge  of  the  true  doctrine  of  the  Gospel,  but 


410  MEMOIRS. 

also  in  exhibiting  the  absurdities  and  incongruities  of  human 
creeds,  and  their  deleterious  influences  upon  the  human 
mind,  and  also  of  softening  the  asperities  of  many  limita- 
ians  who  had  the  liberality  to  attend  the  lectures  ;  and  es- 
pecially  in  making  the  opposing  clergy  a  little  more  modest 
in  retailing  their  slandfers,  and  in  their  assumption  of  judi- 
cial  authority  to  fulminate  their  anathemas  against  every 
one  who  had  the  temerity  to  doubt  their  divine  inspiration. 


CHAPTER  XVn. 


Unsettled  state  of  citizenship  in  Ann  Arbor— Burden  of  support  on  a  few— 
A  means  of  spreading  the  truth— Speculating  mania— Extortionate  prices 
— Duration  of  residence  in  Michigan — Reasons  for  returning  to  Pennsyl- 
vania— Losses  by  bank  failures— Expenses  exceeding  income— Society- 
meeting — Making  up  arrearages — Anonymous  articles  in  the  "  Magazine 
and  Advocate" — Dr.  T.  C.  Adam — Propositions  to  enter  the  ministry — 
Correspondence — Dr.  A.  makes  an  appointment — His  success — His  second 
appointment  and  his.  fitness  forAnn  Arbor — The  society  give  Dr.  Adam 
a  call  to  settle  v^^ith  them — He  accepts  for  one  year — Salary  raised — The 
author's  dismissal — Farewell  discourse  and  separation — Session  of  the  As- 
sociation— Three  additional  laborers — State  of  the  cause — Number  of  our 
preachers — Dr.  A.  enters  upon  his  charge — His  character  and  habits — His 
ill  health,  and  subsequent  relinquishment  of  the  ministiy — 111  health  of  my 
vdfe — Removal  from  Ann  Arbor — Dr.  A.'s  benevolence — Further  reasons 
for  returning  to  Pennsylvania — Providential  favors — Leaving  Michigan — ■ 
Journey  through  Ohio — An  eccentric  man,  and  singular  theory — State  of 
the  cause  in  Pennsylvania — Lake  Erie  Association — Judah  Babcock — Re- 
ports concerning  him,  and  his  withdrawal-His  certificates  and  restoration- 
Subsequent  circumstances,  and  mvestigation — Complaint  against  him — His 
suspension — Visit  and  letter  to  the  author — His  expulsion — Doings  of  the 
Blue  River  Association,  Indiana. 

The  meetings  in  Ann  Arbor  were  generally  well  attended, 
the  church  frequently  crowded  to  overflowing  ;  but  the  con- 
gregation was  by  no  means  permanent.  It  was  a  tune  of  the 
most  rapid  settlement  of  the  State — the  greatest  influx  of  em- 
igrants.  Very  few  of  the,  inhabitants,  comparatively,  could 
be  considered  permanent  residents — hardly  stationary;  for  a 
vast  many  families  only  made  it  a  temporary  stopping-place, 
until  they  could  have  time  to  look  around  the  country,  and 
find  a  location  to  their  liking;  and  those  who  first  took  up  a 
residence  in  the  village,  or  vicinity,  were  ready,  upon  any 
advantageous  offer,  to  change  their  abode.     The  village  was, 


412  MEMOIRS   OF   THE 

therefore,  constantly  changing  inhabitants,  and  very  little  de^ 
pendence  for  support  could  be  placed  on  a  great  majority  of 
those  who  made  up  the  congregation.  The  Avhole,  or  nearly 
tlie  whole  burden  of  supporting  a  constant  ministry,  as  a  con- 
sequence, devolved  on  a  very  few.  There  were  a  number  of 
liberal  supporters  in  the  society,  and  I  must  say  the  most  lib- 
eral, according  to  their  means,  that  I  ever  found  in  any  place. 
There  were  three,  and  they  were  not  what  the  world  would 
call  loeaJ/Jiy,  who  during  the  whole  of  my  residence  in  Ann 
Arbor  never  subscribed  less  than  fifty  dollars  each,  annually, 
said  often  more,  besides  paying  me  nearly  as  much  more  in 
some  instances  to  make  up  the  deficiency  of  subscription-list ; 
and  quite  a  number  of  others  subscribed  from  fifteen  to  forty 
dollars,  which  must  certainly  be  accounted  liberal  in  a  new 
country,  where  no  large  fortunes  had  been  accumulated.  The 
fluctuation  of  inhabitants,  too,  rendered  the  stability  of  the  so- 
ciety doubtful.  Converts  Avere  made — members  were  added, 
but  no  sooner  was  the  bird  caught  than  he  had  flown;  never- 
theless there  was  one  abiding  consolation — he  had  carried  with 
him  the  seed  of  divine  truth,  which  was  planted  in  his  heart 
there  to  be  conveyed  through  him,  and  scattered  around  his 
new  habitation.  That  gratified  my  highest  ambition  ;  for  my 
object  had  ever  been  to  advance  the  cause  generally,  to  spread 
far  and  wide  the  knowledge  of  the  truth,  rather  than  to  build 
up  one  splendid  society,  or  surround  myself  with  the  append- 
ages of  earthly  opulence. 

There  ^were  other  difficulties  we  were  doomed  to  encounter. 
It  was  the  time  of  that  speculating  mania,  whose  veneficial 
contagion  infected  the  whole  moral  atmosphere  of  America, 
difi*using  itself  into  all  places,  among  all  ranks  and  orders  of 
society,  and  evincing  a  moral  disease  which  paralyzed  almost 
every  truly  industrial  operation,  prostrated  many  of  the  heavi- 
est capitalists  in  our  country,  l3ringing  bankruptcy,  poverty, 
civil  disorder,  and  moral  degradation  in  its  wake.  It  even 
vitiated  legislative  halls,  corrupted  their  proceedings,  so  as  to 
lend  aid  to  schemes  of  vile  peculation.  Banks  arose  up  in 
almost  every  hamlet,  without  a  cent  of  capital — without  the 
semblance  of  responsibility,  issuing  vast  amounts  of  their 
mockery  of  a  circulating  medium,  giving  momentary  facilities 
to  wild  and  unprincipled  speculators,  until  business  was  de- 
ranged, confidence  destroyed,  and  society  and  government 
nearly  reduced  to  a  state  of  anarchy.     People  would   not  be 


LIFE   OF   REV.   NATHANIEL   STACY.  413 

satisfied  with  the  slow  proceeds  of  useful  manual  labor — me- 
chanical shops  were  deserted,  farms  were  neglected,  and  suf- 
fered to  overrun  with  thorns  and  thistles — all  rushed  to  the 
banks  to  obtain  an  irredeemable  currency  for  the  gratification 
of  their  avaricious  desires,  until,  alas !  too  late,  a  reaction 
convinced  them  that,  instead  of  accumulating  affluence  to 
themselves,  or  increasing  the  wealth  and  respectability  of  so- 
ciety,  they  had  only  been  employing  means  of  pauperism  and 
degradation. 

The  effect  of  this  was  felt  through  the  ranks  of  Society, 
down  to  the  most  humble  day-laborer.  This  country  being 
new,  and  a  vast  con2;refi-ation  throno-ino;  in,  whose  chief  busi- 
ness  was  the  purchase  of  the  necessaries  of  life  ;  and  agri- 
culture  being  neglected  for  the  sake  f)f  "  buying  and  selling 
to  get  gain,"  the  necessaries  of  life  had  risen  to  an  enor- 
mous  price,  most  of  which  had  to.be  imported  from  other 
States  ;  which  placed  them  almost  beyond  the  reach  of  the 
poor,  and  required  the  greatest  prudence  and  management 
with  those  who  did  not  see  fit  to  enter  into  schemes  of  specu- 
lation, to  support  their  families.  For  some  years  after  I  re- 
moved into  the  State,  flour  ranged  from  six  to  ten  dollars  a 
barrel  ;  butter,  in  firkins,  from  twenty-five  to  thirty-seven 
and  a  half  cents  per  pound  •  cheese,  from  twelve  to  eighteen ; 
pork  from  twelve  to  sixteen ;  beef  from  eight  to  twelve  ; 
and  I  have  paid  twenty  dollars  a  ton  for  hay,  and  a  dollar  per 
bushel  for  oats  ;  and  nothing  in  the  shape  of  a  cow  could  be 
purchased  for  less  than  thirty  dollars  ; — I  have  known  a  good 
cow  sold  for  sixty.  The  times  changed,  however,  before  I 
left  the  State  ;  and  produce  and  stock  were  reduced  to  rea- 
sonable prices. 

I  remained  in  IMichigan  five  years,  or  nearly  that  length  of 
time.  When  I  removed  there,  1  by  no  means  calculated  on 
making  it  a  permanent  residence,  or  there  to  close  my  days ; 
but  having  become  weary  of  traveling  over  the  rough  roads 
of  Western  Pennsylvania  and  New  York,  I  considered  it  but 
just  and  reasonable  to  seek  a  little  respite  ;  and  believing,  too, 
that  I  might  for  a  while  be  of  some  service  to  the  cause  of  re- 
ligion in  that  fast-settling  country,  I  was  induced  to  make  the 
trial.  Our  three  eldest  children  were  married,  and  two  of 
them,  at  least,  permanently  settled  in  the  country  we  had  left. 
And  although  my  eldest  son  had  removed  his  family  to  Mich- 
igan, the  spring  after  we  arrived  there,  it  had  become  evident 


414  MEMOIRS   OF    THE 

that  neither  he  nor  his  family  could  enjoy  health  there  ;  for 
after  the  first  season,  his  family  had  not  been  free  from  sick- 
ness,  at  any  time,  for  the  space  of  one  month,  and  they  were 
frequently  all  sick  at  the  same  time  ;  'and  he  had  wisely  con- 
cluded to  remove  back  to  Pennsylvania.     Moreover,  what 
little  property  I  had,  was  in  Columbus,  Pa.      I   had,  indeed, 
sold  my    farm;  and  with  the  avails,  cleared  myself  from  an 
old  debt,  and  expended  the  remainder  in  subsisting  my  fami- 
ly in  Michigan.      But  my  village  lot  and  buildings,  which 
constituted  the  sum  total  of  all  my  worldly  wealth,  remained 
unsold,  and  I  concluded  it  would  be  most  proper,  and  most 
prudent  for  us,  to  return  back  and  spend  the  remnant  of  our 
days  in  the    midst  of  our  children ;  inasmuch  as  the  three 
now  immediately  attached  to  our  family,  would  return  with  us. 
From   the   brief  detail    given  above,  of  the  exorbitant 
prices  of  the  necessaries  of  life,   together  with  the  spurious 
and  worthless  character  of  the  greater  part  of  our  circulating 
medium,  which  subjected  the  bill-holders  to  constant  hazard 
and  frequently  to  actual  loss — (for  if  one  took  a  bill  one  day, 
he  ran  great  risk  of  losing  the  amount  by  keeping  it  over 
night,  so  constantly  were  these  mock  banks  breaking  down) 
■ — it  will  readily  be  perceived  that  a  man  required  a  consid- 
erable  income  to  support  a  moderate  family  in  such  a  place, 
and  at  such  a  time.     Indeed,  I  actually  did   lose  between 
thirty  and  forty  dollars,  even  in  my  small  dealings,  by  way  of 
these  spurious  banks.     At  the  close  of  my  fourth  year,  not- 
withstanding the  punctuality  of  the  members  of  the  society 
in  paying  up  their  subscriptions,  and  the  great  liberality  of 
a  number  of  friends  in  '•  free-will  offerings,"  over  and  above 
their  subscriptions,  I  had  actually  expended,  for  the  support 
of  my  family,  between  one  and  two  hundred  dollars  more 
than  I  had  received  from  the  society. 

Before  the  close  of  the  year  I  made  known  my  condition 
to  the  trustees,  and  my  design  to  leave  the  country  and  re- 
turn  back  to  Pennsylvania.  A  society  meeting  was  called, 
but  they  would  listen  to  no  such  proposal.  They  would 
raise  my  salary,  and  use  more  vigilance  to  increase  support 
and  collect  dues.  Indeed,  this  was  necessary  ;  for,  although 
living  was  at  that  time  far  less  expensive  than  it  had  been  for 
years  past ;  yet  money,  or  a  good  circulating  medium,  had 
become  quite  scarce,  and  consequently  subscriptions  in  gen- 
eral were  not  so  liberal.     Two  of  the  most  liberal  support- 


LIFE    OF    REV.   NATHANIEL   STACY.  415 

ersj  however,  threw  in  iheir  notes  for  fifty  dollars  each  ;— - 
another  would  board  me  and  my  wife,  and  keep  my  horse, 
the  ensuiritr  winter,  while  our  two  daughters  were  on  a  visit 
among  their  friends  in  Pennsylvania  ;  and  I  must  at  any 
rate  stay  another  year.  My  mind,  however,  was  fixed,  and 
my  resolution  to  leave  the  country  unalterable,  so  soon  as  it 
could  be  done  witiiout  breaking  down  the  society,  or  inflict- 
ing a  wound  upon  the  cause.  And  a  kind  Providence,  in 
the  course  of  the  ensuing  winter,  opened  a  dcor. 

Shortly  after  my  settlement  in  Ann  Arbor,  a  series  of  ar- 
ticles appeared,  under  a  fictitious  name,  in  the  "  Magazine 
and  Advocate,"  which  had  a'wide  circulation  in  that  coun- 
try, entitled,  "Notes  on  Sacred  Subjects  ;  addressed  to  Ade- 
lia."  They  were  dated  Lenawee  county,  Michigan ;  but 
who  the  author  was,  neither  the  publisher  of  the  paper  nor 
any  of  our  preachers  in  all  that  section  of  country  could 
divine.  It  was  evident  that  the  author  was  a  man  of  high  lit- 
erary attainments,  and  deep  theological  and  biblical  re- 
search. We  made  all  the  inquiry  that  lay  in  our  power  ; 
but  the  author  kept  himself  so  closely  incognito,  that  months 
and  even  years  rolled  away  before  we  were  able  to  un- 
veil him.  It  was,  however,  at  length  discovered,  more  by 
stratagem  than  any  other  way,  that  Dr.  T.  C.  Adam  was 
the  author  of  them  ;  and  not  long  afterwards.  Providence  di- 
rected my  way  to  make  an  acquaintance  with  him.  Dr.  Ad- 
am was  a  foreigner  by  birth — a  Scotchman— and  received 
his  education  at  the  University  of  Edinburgh.  I  found  him 
all  that  I  anticipated  in  respect  to  erudition,  high  intellectual 
powers  and  culture  ;  but  to  my  great  disappointment  I  found 
him  one  of  the  most  unassuming,  and  even  bashful  men,  I  ever 
met  with  ;  so  great  was  his  diffidence  that  he  actually  appear- 
ed awkward,  and  almost  incapable  of  expressing  himself  ex- 
plicitly in  the  presence  of  a  stranger.  But,  on  becoming  ac- 
quainted with  him  and  treating  him  with  familiarity,  his  diffi- 
dence was  overcome,  and  he  began  to  show  himself  in  social 
conversation  ;  and  I  soon  discovered  that  he  had  not  only  a 
lalent,  but  an  inclination  for  preaching.  While  he  was  on  a 
short  visit  at  my  house,  in  1839,  the  fall  before  I  left  Michigan, 
I  proposed  to  him  to  enter  the  ministry.  But  had  I  struck 
him  with  my  fist,  the  color  could  not  have  rushed  to  his  face 
sooner,  nor  he  have  manifested  more  surprise,  or  received  a 
more  unexpected  shock.     I  immediately  apologized  as  wel-. 


416  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

as  I  could — told  him  I  knew  he  possessed  talent  and  learnino; 
equal  to  the  calling ;  and  if  I  had  not  been  greatly  deceived, 
I  had  discovered  in  him  a  taste  and  inclination  for  it ;  and  it 
was  my  candid  opinion  that  he  never  would  feel  satisfied  and 
at  ease  until  he  entered  upon  the  work.  But  he  repelled  the 
idea  with  some  degree  of  feeling,  and  the  subject  was  dropped. 
Not  many  weeks  elapsed,  however,  before  I  received  a  letter 
from  him,  acknowledging  that  the  proposition  which  I  had 
made  to  him,  together  M'ith  my  remarks,  had  been  a  source 
of  much,  and,  in  some  degree,  painful  thought.  He  confess- 
ed that  he  had  ever  from  his  5''outh  felt  deeply  interested  in 
the  subject  of  religion — that  since  coming  to  America,  and 
indeed  within  a  short  time  past,  he  had  become  fully  and  un- 
hesitatingly convinced  of  the  doctrine  of  the  final  Restitution, 
and  his  heart  and  soul  were  engaged  in  it — that  his  most  ar- 
dent  desire  was  for  its  propagation  and  advancement  in  the 
world  ;  and  could  he  be  m>ade  to  believe  that  his  talents  and 
influence  would  advance  the  cause — that  his  character  was, 
or  could  be  made,  such  as  to  give  weight  and  force  to  his  la- 
bors, nothing  would  gratify  his  feelings,  or  contribute  so  much 
to  his  happiness  as  to  engage  in  the  ministry  ;  and  he  requested 
me  to  write  to  him  on  the  subject.  This  led  to  a  correspond- 
ence, which  resulted  in  an  appointment  from  him  to  deliver  a 
discourse  in  the  Universalist  church  in  Ann  Arbor ;  and  on 
the  fourth  Sunday  in  January,  1840,  he  delivered  hrs  first  dis- 
course to  a  very  full  cono^resation.  He  evidently  suffered 
much  with  embarrassment,  but  both  the  matter  and  manner  of 
the  discourse  were  of  the  first  order.  Never  before,  I  pre- 
sume, was  there  so  eloquent  and  finished  a  discourse,  or  one 
delivered  with  more  pathos,  or  one  that  more  strongly  riveted 
the  attention  of  an  audience,  delivered  in  that  house,  or  per- 
haps in  the  village  of  Ann  Arbor.  It  was  received  with  the 
highest  applause,  and  most  hearty  commendation  ;  and  it  in- 
spired him  with  courage.  At  my  request,  he  had  prepared 
two  discourses,  and  was  persuaded  to  preach  again  in  the  af- 
ternoon ;  and  at  the  united  importunity  of  myself  and  the  so- 
ciety, he  left  another  appointment  for  two  weeks  f?om  that 
time.  After  preaching  three  Sabbaths  to  full  and  increasing 
congregations,  he  in  a  great  degree  overcame  his  diffidence, 
so  that  they  had  a  fair  specimen  of  his  ministerial  capacity ; 
and  their  admiration  of  his  labors,  and  their  confidence  of  his 
great  usefulness  in  the  high  and  holy  calling  being  freely  ex- 


LIFE    OF    REV.  NATHANIEL    STACY.  41T 

pressed,  I  discovered  a  \vay  by  which  I  could  be  relieved  from 
my  pastorship,  and  immediately  set  myself  about  it.  There 
was  a  man  exactly  fitted  for  that  station.  Ann  Arbor  had  be- 
come the  seat  of  the  University,  and  would,  of  course,  be  the 
focus  of  the  literati  of  the  State ;  and  the  society  needed  a 
pastor  who,  in  reo;ard  to  literary  attainments,  could  compete 
with  the  most  eminent  professors  of  the  institution;  and  Dr. 
Adam  was  that  man.  I  so  represented  it  to  the  society,  and 
urged  it  to  give  him  a  call ;  and  to  do  it  immediately,  before 
he  left  the  State.  H§  was  by  no  means  calculated  for  an  itin- 
erant preacher;  but  his  talents,  learning,  and  habits  were  cal- 
culated for  a  settled  pastor  in  a  populous  city  ;  an^  if  they  did 
not  secure  his  labors  immediately,  he  would  be  gone  to  Bos- 
ton, New  York,  or  some  other  of  our  eastern  cities  ;  for  there 
was  no  other  location  in  Michigan  that  would  be  adapted  to  his 
genius,  and  none  that  would  think  of  giving  him  a  call — that 
they,  equally  with  me,  would  wish  to  retain  him  in  the  State, 
and  that  to  employ  him  would  be  the  only  feasible  means  •of 
doing  it — that  it  was  presumable  he  would  not  demand  a  salary 
above  their  means,  inasmuch  as  I  was  satisfied  there  were 
numbers  who  would  subscribe  for  him,  who  would  not  set  their 
names  to  paper  for  any  other  man  they  could  procure.  Some 
of  the  society  objected  to  it  at  first,  no  doubt  out  of  personal 
respect  for  me,  and  wished  me  to  remain.  But  being  told 
that  my  mind  was  fixed — that  I  should  leave  at  the  close  of 
the  year,  at  farthest,  they  consented  to  make  the  trial,  and  au- 
thorized me  to  enter  into  a  negotiation  with  him  on  the  sub- 
ject. I  immediately  opened  a  correspondence  with  Dr.  Ad- 
am, informing  him  of  the  wishes  of  the  society,  and  I  united 
with  them  in  urgently  pressing  him  to  accept  the  call.  At  first 
he  repelled  it,  as  an  infringement  upon  my  rights — as  super- 
ceding me.  But  being  assured  that  I  was  determined  to  leave 
whether  he  accepted  or  not;  and  being  made  to  believe  that 
such  was,  in  fact,  my  real  and  unalterable  intention,  he  finally 
consented  to  settle  with  them  for  one  year — he  would  not  give 
encouragement  for  any  longer  period.  My  next  business  was 
to  ascertain  the  necessary  amount  of  salary,  and  to  see  that  it 
was  raised.  After  making  several  propositions  to  him,  he  at 
last  told  me,  that  five  hundred  dollars  was  all  he  would  accept 
of,  which  would  support  his  family,  and  he  had  no  wish  to 
make  the  Gospel  a  burden  to  the  people,  nor  a  subject  of  pe- 
cuniary speculation. 
A — A 


418  MEMOIRS   OF   THE 

As  I  had  succeeded  thus  far,  I  resolved  that  no  effori  oi' 
mine  should  be  wanting  to  settle  Dr.  Adam  in  Ann  Arbor ; 
and  therefore  went  about  raising  his  salary,  which  was  accom- 
plished in  a  short  time.  I  entrusted  the  business  to  no  hands 
but  my  own.  I  had  never  the  confidence  to  ask  subscriptions 
for  myself,  to  sustain  my  labors  in  any  society,  and  hardly  to 
ask  for  the  payment  of  sums  voluntarily  subscribed  ;  but  I 
could  freely  and  boldly  do  it  for  Dr.  Adam.  Accordingly, 
after  preparing  the  papers,  in  one  or  two  days,  at  farthest,  I 
obtained  on  subscription  the  whole  amount  required.  No  in- 
dividual subscription  was  unusually  large,  but  numbers,  as  I 
anticipated,  freely  subscribed  for  him  who  had  never  before 
put  their  names  to  such  a  paper.  I  then  went  to  the  trustees 
of  the  society,  put  the  papers  into  their  hands,  and  took  from 
them  an  obligation  guaranteeing  the  payment  of  the  amount  of 
the  subscription  in  equal  quarterly  instalments  to  the  Doctor, 
provided  he  fulfilled  the  stipulations  on  his  part ;  and  that  ob- 
ligation I  delivered  to  Dr.  Adam  ;  when  I  congratulated  my- 
self on  the  work  being  done. 

I  now  had  the  satisfaction  of  having  accomplished  some 
•Tood  for  the  cause  in  Michigan.  Whatever  my  labors  hith- 
erto had  been,  or  might  yet  prove  in  their  effects,  I  considered 
my  last  efforts  in  influencing  Dr.  Adam  to  enter  the  ministry, 
and  obtaining  his  settlement  in  Ann  Arbor,  as.being  far  above 
all  the  rest,  in  promoting  the  growth  and  advancing  the  pros- 
perity of  the  cause  in  the  State.  One  trying  scene,  however, 
remained  for  me,  and,  I  doubt  not,  for  my  friends  to  pass 
tlirough ;  and  that  was,  to  dissolve  our  connection — to  take 
leave;  and  the  last  Sunday  in  May  this  trial  was  endured. 
It  was  the  last  day  I  ever  met  with  them  as  pastor  of  the  so- 
ciety and  church  ;  and  the  last  discourse  I  delivered  was  on 
the  words  of  the  apostle  to  the  Elders  of  the  church  at  Ephe- 
sus.  Acts,  20  :  2G,  27.  At  the  close  of  the  service,  by  a  re- 
quest of  Deacon  Williams,  I  took  a  stand  on  the  first  step  of 
the  pulpit  stairs,  near  the  entrance  of  the  house,  so  that  as 
many  as  chose  might  take  my  hand  as  they  passed.  The  con- 
gregation was  large,  the  house  densely  filled,  and  every  man, 
woman,  and  child  took  my  hand  as  they  passed,  for  they  all 
took  the  trouble  to  pass  out  at  one  door,  and  I  know  not  that 
Ihere  was  a  dry  eye  passed  from  the  house  that  evening.  { 
had  ministered  to  them  a  little  over  four  years  and  a  half;  and 
nothing  had  taken  place  during  that  time  to  interrupt  our  har- 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  410 

^nony,  or  in  the  least  degree  to  impair  confidence  ;  and  though 
our  relation  of -pastor  and  people  had  been  brief,  many  strong 
•attachments  had  been  formed,  and  consequently  a  separation, 
although  no  doubt  best  for  both  parties,  was,  nevertheless, 
|:)ainful  in  the  extreme. 

The  following  week  being  the  first  Wednesday  and  Thurs- 
day in  June,  was  the  time  for  the  meeting  of  our  Association, 
which  held  its  session  that  year  in  Ann  Arbor;  when  Dr.  Ad- 
am, together  with  three  others,  viz.,  Dr.  I.  Smead,  D.  K.  Lee, 
and  William  Hard,  received  letters  of  fellowship  as  preachers 
of  the  everlasting  Gospel.  Dr.  Adam  delivered  the  last  dis- 
course on  the  occasion,  which  more  than  sustained  the  recom- 
mendation that  I  had  given  him,  and  inspired  the  strongest 
hopes  and  confidence  in  the  breast  of  preachers  and  delegates 
— of  believers  and  inquirers  after  truth.  That  was  the  last 
time  I  ever  met  with  the  Association  in  that  State  ;  and  although 
attended  with  some  melancholy  sensations,  arising  from  the 
great  probability  that  it  was  the  last  time  I  should  ever  meet 
the  brethren  in  my  earthly  tabernacle,  still  it  was  to  me,  "  a 
feast  of  fat  things,"  and  my  cup  of  "  wines  on  the  lees,"  was 
filled  to  overflowing.  It  was  the  fifth  session  of  that  body,  in- 
cluding the  one  at  its  organization.  Then  there  were  only 
three  preachers  present  who  could  be  considered  residents  of 
the  State,  and  but  three  societies  duly  represented  ;  and  within 
the  short  period  of  four  years,  amid  all  the  discouragements 
and  opposition  which  Universalism  is  uniformly  doomed  to 
encounter  in  its  infantile  struggles,  in  almost  every  land,  nu- 
merous societies  had  grown  up,  whose  delegates  were  there 
in  council,  and  ten  preachers  besides  myself  were  residents 
of  the  State,  viz.,  A.  H.  Curtis,  T.  Wheeler,  E.  Gage,  J.  Bil- 
lings,  S.  S.  Curtis,  A.  Sweet,  I.  Smead,  T.  C.  Adam,  D.  K, 
Lee,  and  W.  Hard  ;  and  there  were  several  other  preachers 
in  different  parts  of  the  State,  who  did  not  attend  the  Associa- 
tion that  season.  It  will  not  be  difficult,  therefore,  for  those 
who  feel  interested  in  the  prosperity  of  Zion,  to  judge  of  the 
feelings  of  one,  under  such  circumstances,  who  had  devoted 
a  long  life  exclusively  to  the  promulgation  of  the  same  Gos- 
pel. Oh,  with  what  fervent  gratitude  to  the  "  Father  of  spir- 
its  "  should  our  hearts  be  filled,  although  there  are  many  se- 
vere trials  to  be  experienced  in  our  life's  "rough  and  rugged" 
path — many  dark  hours  to  overshadow  us  on'the  road  from 
the  land  of  "  bondage"  to  the  "  Jerusalem  "  we  seek,  yet  ho 


420  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

mercifully  affords  us  many  brilliant  seasons  of  heart-felt  enjoy- 
ment; and,  to  give  us  strength  and  encourage  faithful  perse- 
verance, spreads  occasionally  before  us  such  a  divine  repast 
of  good  things. 

On  the  first  Sunday  in  June,  Dr.  Adam  comnienced  his  la- 
bors with  the  people  of  his  charge.  I  attended  meeting  with 
him  on  the  first  day,  formally  introduced  him  to  the  church,, 
as  the  pastor  of  their  choice  ;  and,  at  the  altar  of  our  common 
Lord,  laying  my  hand  on  his  head,  installed  him,  informally„ 
into  his  sacred,  holy,  and  responsible  office. 

But  all  my  anticipations  were  not  fully  realized.  I  had 
not  the  least  doubt,  when  Dr.  Adam  settled  in  Ann  Arbor,  that, 
at  the  close  of  the  year,  he  might  demand  almost  any  amount 
of  salary,  and  it  would  be  raised  for  him,  without  the  least 
hesitation,  and  without  difficulty.  But  his  labors  proved  too 
severe  for  him  ;  his  health  became  impaired  ;  and  he  was 
compelled  to  retire  for  a  season  from  the  ministry.  And,  at 
two  separate  trials  since  that  time,  in  the  city  of  Boston,  Mas- 
sachusetts, where  he  had  a  call,  he  has  preached  himself  side, 
and  has  been  compelled  to  relinquish  the  duties  of  the  minis- 
try almost  entirely.  Hence,  I  very  much  fear,  that  our  cause 
must  wholly  lose  the  valuable  labors  of  this  great  man.  Dr. 
Adam  was  rather  fastidious  in  regard  to  the  diction  and  logic 
of  his  discourses — nothing  must  go  out  of  his  hands  in  the 
least  degree  unfinished ;  and  his  extremely  diffident  feelings 
caused  him  to  tremble,  through  fear  of  committing  some  error. 
He,  therefore,  applied  himself  to  study  with  such  intensity — - 
not  giving  himself  time  for  relaxation,  and  sufficient  muscu- 
lar exercise  to  keep  up  any  thing  like  an  equilibrium — that 
by  the  time  he  had  prepared  his  discourses  for  the  Sabbath, 
and  delivered  them,  his  whole  physical  system  would  be  com- 
pletely prostrated ;  and  were  a  week  twice  as  long  as  it  is,  it 
would  be  still  too  short  for  him  to  prepare  his  discourses, 
agreeably  to  his  literary  taste  and  refinement.  I  had  thought, 
and  hoped,  that  time  and  experience  would  have  overcome  his- 
squeamishness,  (as  I  once  bluntly  told  him  it  was  ;)  but  I  have- 
pretty  much  given  up  his  case  as  hopeless. 

During  the  last  year  of  my  residence  in  Michigan,  the 
health  of  my  wife  became  very  much  impaired,  and  no  med- 
icine seemed  to  have  any  effect  toward  a  restoration.  Her 
disease  appeared  to  have  its  seat  in  the  nervous  system ;  and 
traveling  and  suitable  exercise,  which  we  tried  as  far  as  cir- 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STAGY.  421 

eumstances  would  enable  us,  and  which  generally  is  the  most 
successful  in  affording  relief  from  such  complaints,  proved 
wholly  ineffectual.  This,  had  no  other  consideration  been 
presented,  would  have  afforded  sufficient  inducement  for  me 
to  leave  the  country,  and  return  back  among  our  children. 
Having  closed  all  my  engagements,  and  arranged  things  at 
Ann  Arbor  according  to  my  most  ardent  desires,  I  turned  all 
my  thoughts  and  attention  to  preparations  for  finally  leavino- 
the  State.  I  had  preparations  to  make,  and  some  pecuniary 
affairs  to  settle,  which  would  necessarily  occupy  some  time, 
in  all  of  which  it  became  necessary  to  study  and  practice  pru- 
dence and  economy  as  far  as  possible,  inasmuch  as  I  had,  by 
no  means,  increased  my  funds  by  removing  into  the  State. 
Accordingly,  accepting  a  very  liberal  and  voluntary  proposal 
of  Dr.  Adam,  I  removed  my  family,  in  the  month  of  July, 
into  the  house  he  had  vacated,  in  the  town  of  Franklin,  Len- 
awee county,  which  he  generously  offered  to  let  me  occupy, 
together  with  as  much  of  his  farm  as  I  chose  to  improve,  free 
of  rent  as  long  as  I  was  disposed  to  stay  on  it.  While  making 
preparations  for  removal,  I  still  continued  to  hold  meetings  in 
the  surrounding  country,  and  had  several  encouraging  offers 
to  settle  with  different  societies,  and  remain  in  the  State.  But 
these  proposals,  however  flattering,  afforded  no  inducement  to 
remain,  under  the  circumstances  of  the  ill  health  of  my  wife, 
and  the  desire  of  spending  the  evening  of  our  days  in  the  im- 
mediate society  of  our  children.  We  were  becoming  old — 
our  sun  had  long  since  passed  his  meridian,  and  was  fast  de- 
dining  to  his  occidental  hiding-place  ;  and  we  began  seriously 
to  feel  the  infirmities  of  age,  and  the  importance  of  seeking 
such  repose  as  that  feebleness  so  imperatively  demands.  I 
had  devoted  the  strength  of  my  years,  most  willingly  and  joy- 
fully, to  the  cause  of  my  great  Master — I  had  sought  the  ad- 
vancement of  his  cause  rather  than  my  own  ease,  or  the  afflu- 
ence of  this  world's  goods ;  and  he  had  blessed  us  through 
the  whole  period  with  the  absolute  necessaries  of  life,  with  a 
good  share  of  health,  and,  above  all,  with  kind,  dutiful,  and 
affectionate  children.  As,  therefore,  by  removing  back  to 
Pennsylvania,  we  should  place  them  all  in  the  same  neighbor- 
hood, where  in  all  probability  they  would  quietly  remain,  so 
no  earthly  consideration,  nor  even  the  prospect  then  before  us 
of  being  longer  useful  to  the  cause  in  that  region,  could  in- 
terpose a  sufficient  inducement  to  change  my  mind. 


422  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

A  kind  and  watchful  Providence,  '■  who  tempers  the  winci> 
to  the  shorn  lamb" — who  never  forgets  those  who  trust  in 
him  ;  who  had  mercifully  sustained  us  thus  far  in  our  jour- 
ney through  life,  dispelling  the  darkness  which  had  often 
gathered  in  our  path-way,  often  providing  for  our  returning 
wants  in  some  unexpected,  and  not  unfrequently  in  an  al- 
most miraculous  way,  was  still  mindful  of  us  ;  and  through 
the  liberal  exertions  of  some  of  our  friends,  and  the  ready, 
though  unexpected  sale  of  such  articles  of  household  furni- 
ture as  we  wished  not  to  remove,  furnished  us  with  the  means 
of  returning  in  a  comfortable  mannerto  the  place  we  desired. 
And  on  the  second  day  of  September,  we  bade  farewell  to 
our  friends  in  Michigan,  and  set  our  faces  to  the  east. 

We  entered  our  furniture  at  a  forwarding-house  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Clinton,  marked  for  Erie,  Pennsylvania — from 
v/hence  we  proceeded  to  Toledo,  where  our  son  and  our 
eldest  daughters  took  passage  in  a  steam-boat.  I  had  pro- 
vided myself  with  an  able  horse,  and  a  carriage  sufficient  for 
the  purpose,  and  took  my  wife  and  youngest  daughter  by 
land,  through  the  State  of  Ohio.  We  were  blessed  with  an 
excellent  fall  for  traveling,  fine  weather,  and  good  roads — 
and  took  our  journey  leisurely,  journeying  through  the  coun- 
ties of  Wood,  Sandusky,  Huron,  Lorraine,  Medina,  Summit, 
Portage,  Trumbul,  and  Ashtabula.  We  found  many  old 
friends,  even  some  who  had  immigrated  from  New  England  re- 
cently, and  formed  some  new  acquaintances  on  our  way — 
visited  a  good  number  of  societies,  held  meetings  in  sundry 
places,  and  arrived  at  the  place  of  our  destination,  now  our 
own  humble  home,  on  the  second  day  of  October,  just  one 
month  from  the  time  we  started  ;  having  traveled,  by  the 
circuitous  route  we  pursued,  between  four  and  five  hundred 
miles. 

One  important  object  I  had  in  view  in  making  the  jour- 
ney by  land,  was  the  improvement  of  my  wife's  health, 
which  was  in  a  good  measure  effected,  although  she  was 
very  feeble  when  we  started,  and  indeed  experienced  much 
sickness  on  the  route.  Still,  after  a  sufficient  season  for  rest- 
ing from  the  fatigues  of  the  journey,  she  enjoyed  better 
health  than  for  many  months  before  ;  and  about  a  year  after- 
wards her  health  was  so  recruited,  that  she  has  enjoyed,  most 
of  the  time  since,  as  good  health  as  the  generality  of  people 
of  her  age.     Indeed,  we  have  great  cause  of  gratitude  to  the 


LIFE    OF   REV.  NATHANIEL   STACY.  423 

Author  and  Preserver  of  our  being,  for  the  amount  of  health 
we  have  both  enjoyed  through  a  long  and  laborious  life. 

On  our  journey  through  Ohio,  I  delivered  an  evening  lec- 
ture in  the  town  of  Florence  ;  and  at  the  close  of  meeting,  a 
man  was  introduced  to  me,  or  rather  introduced  himself,  who 
made  extraordinary  pretensions  to  religion,  but  had  formed 
in  his  own  whimsical  imagination  a  most  singular  and  pecu- 
liar theory,  such  an  one  as  I  never  before  found  among  all 
the  variety  of  characters  whose  whims  and  phantoms  had 
been  regarded  as  religious  truth,  in  this  whimsical  and  super- 
stitious world.  It  seemed  to  be  a  compound  of  Platonism, 
Judaism,  and  Christianity,  and  the  Lord  knows  what  else  ; 
but  whimsical  and  eccentric  as  it  was,  it  was  surely  more 
consistent  with  itself  than  any  other  system  of  Partialism  I 
had  ever  before  heard  explained.  The  man  had  been  a 
zealous  Methodist ;  but  in  the  labyrinths  of  that  "  bottomless" 
system  had  evidently  become  bewildered,  and  had  seceded 
from  them  ;  and  from  the  various  materials  he  had  picked  up 
among  the  rubbish  through  which  he  had  groped  his  way, 
had  framed  a  theory  without  having  much  regard  to  anything 
but  his  own  vitiated  taste  and  bewildered  imagination,  to 
which  he  had  tenaciously  wedded  himself. 

He  said  he  believed  in  two  uncreated,  self-existent,  eternal 
principles  or  beings,  one  good  and  the  other  evil,  whom  he 
called  God  and  Devil — that  God  took  care  of  all  his  children, 
all  he  created,  and  would  finally  save  them  ;  but  God  created 
none  but  the  Jews  ; — ^and  that  the  devil  created  all  the  Gen- 
tiles. But  the  children  of  God  and  the  children  of  the  devil 
had  become  so  amalgamated,  so  intermingled,  that  it  was  al- 
most impossible  now  for  infinite  wisdom  to  trace  the  dividing 
line — that  Jesus  Christ  came  into  the  world  to  save  the 
children  of  God,  and  would  finally  accomplish  it ;  and  that 
if  possible,  (and  indeed  he  thought  it  quite  probable,)  he 
would  succeed  in  saving  some  that  the  devil  had  created. 

I  had  but  a  few  moments  conversation  with  the  man.  He 
was  quite  a  fluent  talker,  and  appeared  perfectly  sane  on  eve- 
ry other  subject,  and  1  was  told,  a  respectable  man  ;  but 
whether  he  had  ever  succeeded  in  making  any  proselytes  to 
his  theory,  I  did  not  learn. 

On  my  return  to  Pennsylvania,  I  found  the  cause  of  Divine 
truth  in  a  gradually  progressive  state.  Several  new  societieg 
liad  grown  up,  while  some  that  were  measurably  in  a  state 


424  MEMOIRS   OF    THE 

of  organization  had  been  dissolved ;  but  on  the  whole  there 
had  been  an  increase.  Some  two  or  three  young  men  had 
embarked  in  the  ministn.-.  and  two  or  three  preachers  had  re- 
moved into  this  section  ;  and  a  new  Association.  (-'  TJie  Lake 
Erie  Association'*)  had  been  organized  in  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania. But  I  found  a  burden  of  very  considerable  weight 
lying  upDn  the  cause,  which  essentially  retarded  its  progress 
in  this  region  :  and  I  undertook,  painful  as  was  the  task,  to 
search  it  out,  and,  by  the  help  of  God,  to  remove  it  out  of  the 
way. 

A  man  by  the  name  of  Judah  Babcock,  residing  some 
where  in  Allegany  county,  Xew  York,  a  short  time  before  1 
removed  to  Michigan,  had  seceded  from  the  Free-will  Baptist 
connection,  professed  conversion  to  the  faith  of  Universalism, 
and  obtained  from  the  Allegany  Association  a  letter  of  fel- 
lowship as  a  preacher.  He  was  an  illiterate  man,  but  pos- 
sessed a  certain  kind  of  speaking  talent  which  captivated  a 
particular  class  of  community,  and  produced  considerable  ex- 
citement wherever  he  went,  which  rendered  him  quite  popu- 
lar. After  I  left  Columbus  he  came  into  this  region,  and  for 
a  season,  preached  to  good  acceptance  in  Columbus  and  the 
surrounding  country  ;  and  even  made  arranrrements  to  rfe- 
raove  his  family  into  the  town  of  Columbus.  But  while  these 
measures  were  in  progress,  reports  derogatory-  to  his  moral 
character,  and  reproachful  to  the  cause  in  which  he  was  en- 
gaged, were  put  in  circulation,  which  not  only  led  to  some 
unhappy  feelings  in  the  s-ociety  at  Columbus,  but  brought  a 
stain  on  the  cause  wherever  his  name  was  connected  with  it. 
Some  steps  were  proposed  to  investigate  these  reports,  but,  as 
it  t'>o  evidently  appeared,  in  order  to  avoid  investigation,  he 
in  a  private  and  informal  manner  returned  his  letter  of  fel- 
lowship to  the  clerk  of  the  Association,  and  said  he  thereby 
withdrew  from  the  connection,  and  denied  the  authority  of  the 
Ass-ociation  to  deal  with  him. 

In  the  course  of  the  year,  however,  he  obtained  certificates 
of  certain  individuals  of  respectable  character,  but  who  were 
not  of  our  denomination,  nor  professors  of  religion,  and  had 
Ro  sympathy  for  Universalism  more  than  any  other  senti- 
ment, stating  that  they  did  not  know,  and  had  no  special  rea- 
son  to  believe  the  reports  in  circulation — which  was  the 
amount  of  the  certificates  obtained  ;  and  at  the  next  session 
presented  these  certificates,  and  requested  the  restoration  of 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  425 

his  letter  of  fellowship,  which  was  restored  to  him.  This 
was  the  position  of  Mr.  Babcock  when  I  returned  to  Penn- 
sylvania from  Michigan. 

While  on  a  visit  to  this  country  the  year  before  I  removed 
back,  I  learned  something  about  these  difficuhies ;  and  also, 
that  Mr.  B.  was  not  then  in  fellowship.  But  seeing,  in  the 
printed  minutes  of  the  next  year's  session  of  the  Allegany 
Association,  that  his  letter  of  fellowship  had  been  restored,  I 
of  course  was  led  to  believe  that  all  difficulties  were  satis- 
factorily settled  ;  and  I  greatly  rejoiced  that  harmony  again" 
was  restored  to  the  church  in  this  section.  Nor  was  anything 
said  to  undeceive  me  on  this  subject  until  the  session  of  the 
Lake  Erie  Association,  in  June,  after  my  return.  Mr.  B. 
attended  that  Association  on  his  way  to  Ohio,  and  the  West- 
ern States  ;  and  I  was  greatly  astonished  that  one  of  our 
delegates  from  Columbus,  as  well  as  of  some  other  individ- 
uals whom  I  expected,  at  the  meeting,  were  not  there.  On 
inquiring  the  cause  of  their  non-attendance  when  I  returned 
home,  I  was  informed  it  was  because  they  had  learned  that  Mr. 
B.  would  be  there,  and  they  could  not  conscientiously  sit  in 
council  with  him.  I  then  set  myself  about  the  business  in 
good  earnest  to  ascertain  what  had  been  done  in  his  case,  and 
how  far  the  breach  had  been  healed  ;  but,  to  my  astonishment 
and  mortification,  I  found  nothing  had  been  done,  or  nothing 
eftectually,  to  satisfy  an  aggrieved  brother  or  sister,  or  wipe 
away  the  stigma  from  the  denomination.  On  inquiring  of 
some  of  the  leading-  members  of  the  Association,  why  Mr.' 
B.'s  letter  of  fellowship  was  restored  to  him,  while  the  stain 
of  impurity  was  unwashed  from  his  character  ;  I  was  told, 
that  while  dispossessed  of  his  letter  of  fellowship,  he  denied 
the  authority  of  the  Association  to  call  him  to  an  account  for 
his  conduct,  or  to  investigate  the  reports  in  circulation  con- 
cerning him  ;  and  their  object  in  granting  him  fellowsliip  again, 
inasmuch  as  he  continued  to  preach  and  call  himself  a  Uni- 
versalist,  was  to  place  him  within  the  reach  of  discipline. 
'•  Well,  why  have  you  not  done  it,  seeing  the  reports  are  not 
contradicted  by  the  authority,  nor  the  burden  removed  from 
the  aggrieved  party  ?"  They  answered,  "  because  no  one  has 
entered  a  complaint  against  him."  I  then  told  them,  that  plea 
should  no  longer  suffice  for  their  delinquency  ;  that  if  ground 
for  a  complaint  existed,  it  should  be  made,  and  that  soon,  for 
I  resolved  that  the  cause  of  God  and  humanity  should  no 


426  MEMOIRS   OF    THE 

longer  groan  and  cripple  under  this  unnecessary  burden.  If 
Mr.  B.  was  slandered,  he  should  have  an  opportunity,  and 
help  too,  to  clear  himself  from  those  vile  calumnies, — or,  if 
he  was  guilty,  he  himself  should  be  made  to  "  bear  his  own 
burdens."  I  spent  weeks,  therefore,  in  traveling  over  the 
counties  of  Warren,  Chautauque,  Cattaraugus,  and  Allegany, 
visiting  those  who  were  grieved  with  the  conduct,  or  the  re- 
ports of  the  conduct,  of  Mr.  Babcock,  examinmg  the  nature 
of  the  charges,  and  getting  the  evidences  on  which  they  re- 
lied for  support,  and  embodied  the  whole  in  a  written  com- 
plaint, which  I  presented  to  the  committee  of  discipline  of  the 
Allegany  Association, 

Mr.  Babcock  remained  at  the  West,  and  we  could  by  no 
means  learn  the  place  of  his  address  ;  but  every  means  in 
the  power  of  the  committee  or  myself  were'resorted  to  in  or- 
der to  inform  Mr.  B.  of  the  transaction,  and  urge  him  to  at- 
tend it.  Notice  was  given  through  the  medium  of  our  West- 
ern periodicals,  and  the  examination  put  off  from  time  to  time, 
but  to  no  effect — he  appeared  to  take  no  notice  whatever  of 
our  proceedings.  At  length  it  was  necessary  for  the  pros- 
perity of  the  cause  that  something  should  be  done,  and  at  the 
session  of  the  Association,  held  in  Yorkshire,  Cattaraugus  Co., 
in  June,  1943,  a  patient,  careful,  and  charitable  examination 
of  the  evidences  was  attended  to,  which  resulted  in  the  sus- 
pension of  Mr.  B.  for  one  year,  with  a  request  that  he  should 
attend  the  next  session,  and  defend  himself  against  the  charges 
preferred. 

In  the  course  of  this  year,  while  I  was  on  a  visit  in  New 
England,  Mr.  B.  made  a  visit  to  this  country  ;  but  took  no 
notice  of  the  proceedings  in  his  case,  never  called  on  the  com- 
mittee of  discipline,  nor  made  any  arrangements  to  vindicate 
liimself.  All  the  notice  he  did  take  of  the  case,  as  far  as  I 
could  learn,  was  to  address  a  lengthy  menacing  letter  to  me, 
which  he  left  in  the  hands  of  a  friend  in  Columbus,  to  be  de- 
livered on  my  return.  This  letter  I  forwarded  to  the  council 
of  the  Allegany  Association,  at  their  session  in  1844,  and  the 
final  step  was  then  taken,  by  withdrawing  the  hand  of  fellow, 
ship  from  him.  Thus  ended  the  unhappy  affair.  It  was 
truly  a  painful  task  for  me,  and  brought  down  some  vials  of 
wrath,  not  from  Heaven,  but  from  Mr.  B,  on  my  devoted 
head,  and  also  some  not  very  friendly  innuendoes  from  the 
"  Blue  River  Association,"  Indiana,  headed  by  Mr.  Kidwell, 


LIFE    OF    EEV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  427 

who,  in  council,  condemned  my  proceedings,  and  the  doings 
of  the  Allegany  Association,  and  justified  Mr.  Babcock  ;  pro- 
nounced him  an  able  and  worthy  preacher  of  the  Gospel,  and 
in  good  standing.  iVfter  the  publication  of  the  doings  of  the 
Association  in  which  Mr.  B.'s  expulsion  took  place,  1  received 
a  letter  from  Mr.  Kidwell,  making  inquiry  in  regard  to  the 
charges  brought  against  him,  &c.  I  replied  to  him  at  length, 
all  I  could  write  on  three  sheets  of  foolscap,  giving  him  an 
impartial  and  circumstantial  history  of  the  whole  transaction 
from  its  commencement  to  its  termination.  This  letter  he 
laid  before  the  "Blue  River  Association,"  and  the  result  was 
as  above  stated.  Mr.  K.  sent  me  the  proceedings  in  his  "  En- 
cyclopsBdia." 


CHAPTER  XYIII 


Physical  improvement  of  the  country — Views  and  expectations  on  returning 
to  Pennsylvania — Mr.  Paine — Calls  and  labors — Mr.  Paine's  removal — 
Engagement  in  Columbus — Extent  of  monthly  travels — Arrangement  for 
a  tour  to  New  England — Journey — Allegany  Association — Boston — Buf- 
falo— Niagara  Falls — Lockport — Gaines— Rochester — Organization  of  a 
church — Newark — D.  K.  Lee — Geneva — Arrival  in  Madison  county — 
Journey  to  Vermont — Charleton,  Saratoga  county — Arrival  in  Bridgewater 
My  mother's  grave — Inscription — Woodstock — Barre— Meeting  and  sepa- 
ration of  friends — Return  through  Northfield — Visits  in  Woodstock  and 
Bridgewater — Rev.  R.  Streeter — The  farewell — Improvement  of  die  coun- 
try, and  roads-Joumey  from  Woodstock  to  New  Salem — Rude  inscription 
on  a  monumental  stone — Reminiscences — 'Visit  to  our  native  town — Pleas- 
ingly melancholy  reflections — The  cemeterj" — Visit  to  my  brother's  family 
— To  Mr.  Flagg,  Dana — State  of  the  cause — Meeting  in  the  old  Congre- 
gational house — Reminiscence  of  ancient  times — ^Rev.  Joel  Foster — Univer- 
salist  preacher  settled  in  New  Salem — Disappomtment — Journey  to  Madi- 
son county,  New  York— Brattlebt)rough—S.  Elliot,  Esq.— Rev.  Mr.  Bal- 
lon— Wilmington— Rev.  Mr.  Bailey — Conference — Bennington— Snow- 
stonn — Duanesburg — Rev.  Mr.  Lyon — CooperstOAVTi — Rev.  Mr.  Whiston 
— Arrival  at  Hamilton — Meeting  and  parting  with  a  brother — His  death — 
Labors  of  the  winter — Conferences  and  funerals — Mr.  D.  Dunbar  and  his 
wiie — Her  death — Remarkable  coincidence — Return  home — Providential 
favors — Reflections. 

During  the  five  years  of  my  absence  from  Western  Penn- 
sylvania, great  improvements  had  been  made  in  the  roads 
through  the  country,  as  well  as  in  almost  every  other  respect. 
I  could  now  travel  very  comfortably  in  every  direction  in  a 
carriage,  and  through  almost  every  town  and  neighborhood. 
Although  I  had  received  no  special  call  from  Columbus,  nor 
any  other  society  particularly  in  this  country,  yet  I  had  no 
idea  of  relinquishing  my  ministerial  labors.  The  field  was 
sufficiently  large  to  require  the  labors  of  all  whdwere  in  it, 


LIFE    OF    REV.  NATHANIEL    STACY.  429 

indeed  it  required  many  more  to  supply  its  demand  ;  and  calls 
had  always  increased,  within  the  compass  of  my  observation, 
in  proportion  to  the  increased  means  of  supplying  them.  I 
returned  to  Pennsylvania  because  that  was  my  home  ;  and  I 
was  disposed  to  make  it  so  during  the  remainder  of  my  earthly 
pilgrimage.  But  while  kind  Heaven  granted  me  health  and 
strength,  I  was  resolved  to  employ  my  time,  as  far  as  I  could, 
and  at  the  same  time  procure  the  means  of  subsistence  for 
my  family,  in  proclaiming  the  word  of  salvation.  Mr.  L. 
Paine  was  settled  in  Columbus  when  I  returned,  and  supplied 
that  society,  and  one  in  Westfield,  Chautauque  county,  New 
York ;  and  I  liad  no  expectation  or  desire  to  supercede  him, 
nor  in  any  manner  to  infringe  upon  his  privileges.  I  had  no 
desire  or  expectation  of  being  employed  as  pastor  of  the  church 
in  Columbus  ;  but  felt  a  gratification  in  becoming  a  neighbor 
to  Mr.  Paine,  and  of  associating  my  labors  with  his,  as  far  as 
consistent,  so  as  to  be  mutual  helps  to  each  other.  I  therefore, 
as  soon  as  I  could  arrange  my  affairs,  and  get  my  family 
into  any  thing  like  a  comfortable  state,  commenced  making 
appointments  in  answer  to  calls  in  the  surrounding  country, 
and  frequently,  in  Mr.  Paine's  absence,  in  Columbus  also. 
Nor  could  I  well  be  idle,  had  I  the  inclination  ;  for  more  ear- 
nest and  urgent  solicitations  were  made  from  organized  but 
destitute  societies,  and  from  places  where  organization  had 
never  been  effected — vastly  more  than  I  was  able  to  supply  ; 
and  my  time  was  very  soon  wholly  employed. 

In  the  course  of  the  following  year  Mr.  Paine  closed  his 
engagements  in  Columbus,  and  removed  his  family  to  Chau- 
tauque county,  where  he  had  uniformly  employed  a  part  of 
his  time  durmg  his  residence  in  Columbus ;  the  church  and 
society  therefore  being  destitute,  I  once  more  accepted  the 
pastoral  charge  ;  and  from  that  day  to  the  present  I  have  de- 
voted a  portion  of  my  time  to  their  service  ;  but  during  the 
same  period  I  have  had  engagements  with  other  societies, 
which  have  generally  subjected  me  to  the  necessity  of  riding 
from  fifty  to  one  hundred  miles  a  month. 

Many  years  had  elapsed  since  we  had  seen  any  of  our  sur- 
viving relatives  in  New  England,  and  still  more  since  we  had 
visited  the  country  of  our  childhood  ;  and  age  admonished 
us,  that  if  we  would  realize  our  wish  to  enjoy  such  a  visit 
and  interview,  it  must  be  accomplished  soon.  We  were  both 
among  the  youngest  of  our  fathers'  families — our  parents  had 


430  MEMOIRS   OF   THE 

long  sines  fallen  asleep,  leaving  but  a  small  remnant  of  their 
immediate  posterity,  and  they  were  all  far  advanced  in  life. 
iVIy  wife  had  two  sisters  in  the  State  of  Vermont,  who,  with 
herself,  were  all  that  survived  of  her  father's  family.  I  had 
also  two  sisters  in  Vermont,  and  one  brother,  and  a  half-sister 
in  Massachusetts.  Therefore,  after  once  more  getting  our 
family  comfortably  settled  in  Columbus,  and  seeing  the  two 
oldest,  who  had  hitherto  remained  as  immediate  members  of 
our  domestic  circle,  married  and  settled  in  the  world,  we 
concluded  that  kind  Providence  had  now  afforded  us  an  op- 
portunity to  accomplish  so  desirable  an  object.  Consequently, 
providing  ourselves  with  a  good  safe  horse  and  a  comfortable 
carriage,  so  as  to  travel  independently  of  public  conveyance, 
and  enable  us  to  pursue  our  journey  as  leisurely  as  we  were 
disposed,  diverging  from  a  direct  course  when  it  became  ne- 
cessary to  visit  friends,  and  stop,  and  go  at  our  own  bidding  ; 
we  left  home  in  the  latter  part  of  June,  1843.  I  had  in  view, 
not  only  to  visit  our  friends  and  relatives  in  New  England, 
but  to  make  a  very  general  visit  in  the  field  of  my  early  la- 
bors in  Central  New  York,  as  well  as  to  visit  many  friends, 
and  some  societies  on  our  way.  We  left  home,  therefore, 
without  giving  any  encouragement  of  returning  short  of  a 
year. 

We  first  steered  our  course  to  Cattaraugus  county,  made  a 
short  stop  with  our  daughter  in  Farmersville,  and  attended 
the  Allegany  Association,  which  held  its  session  in  the  town 
of  Yorkshire.  Thence,  we  proceeded  to  Boston,  where  I 
preached  the  following  Sabbath;  thence  to  Buffalo,  where  we 
tarried  only  one  day  with  our  friends,  at  that  great  port  and 
outlet  of  immense  inland  seas  ;  and  thence  to  Niagara  Falls, 
where  we  stopped  another  day  to  gaze  and.  wonder  at  this  su- 
blime and  matchless  work  of  Him,  "  Who  created  all  things  by 
the  word  of  his  power."  I  had  visited  that  place  before,  but 
will  never  attempt  a  description  of  a  wonder  which  has  de- 
fied the  skill  of  infinitely  more  vivid  imaginations  than  mine. 
All  I  will  attempt  now  to  say  is,  that  with  every  successive 
visit  to  that  stupendous  and  unparalleled  cataract,  astonish- 
ment  increases,  and  the  soul  is  overwhelmed  with  wonder, 
awe,  and  reverence.  From  thence  we  proceeded  to  Lock- 
port,  where  v/e  stopped  two  nights,  one  with  an  old  acquaint- 
ance, and  the  other  with  Mr.  B.  B.  Bunker,  who  had  recently 
removed  into  the  village,  and  settled  as  pastor  of  the  Univer- 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  431 

salist  church.  From  Lockport,  we  proceeded  to  Gaines, 
where  we  tarried  over  the  Sabbath  with  Mr.  S.  S.  Curtis, 
and  I  preached  in  the  morning  and  afternoon,  in  the  Univer- 
salist  meeting-house.  Our  next  stopping-place  was  the  city 
of  Rochester,  where,  and  in  the  vicinity,  we  spent  nearly  one 
week.  The  Sunday  following,  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of 
Mr.  C.  Hammond,  who  was  then  settled  as  pastor  of  the  so- 
ciety in  Pwochester,  I  spent  with  him  and  Mr.  S.  Miles,  in  the 
city  ;  when,  for  the  first  time,  a  small  church  of  believers  was 
organized,  and  recognized — -and  a  happy  day  it  was  to  them. 
From  Rochester  we  proceeded  to  Newark,  where  many  years 
before  I  had  delivered  a  single  evening  lecture  to  a  few  indi- 
viduals in  a  private  house  ;  but  we  now  beheld  a  populous  and 
thriving  village,  situated  on  both  sides  of  the  Erie  canal ;  and 
with  it  a  very  respectable  Universalist  society,  who  had  built 
a  very  neat  and  convenient  meeting-house,  and  settled  Mr.  D,- 
K.  Lee,  one  of  my  Michigan  boys,  as  its  pastor.  Mr.  Knee- 
land  Townsend  had  previously  preached  there,  and  his  family 
then  resided  in  the  village  We  spent  about  twenty-four  hours 
in  the  place.  We  next  proceeded,  diverging  from  our  direct 
course,  to  the  village  of  Geneva,  at  the  outlet  of  the  Seneca 
lake,  and  made  a  short  visit  with  another  of  my  boys.  Rev.  O. 
Ackley,  who  resided  there,  and  had  been  many  years  a  suc- 
cessful laborer  in  the  vineyard  of  our  Lord.  After  spending 
one  night  only  with  him,  we  again  resumed  our  journey,  and, 
on  the  twenty-eighth  day  of  July,  reached  Madison  county. 
To  meet  our  calculations,  some  time  was  necessarily  required 
to  be  spent  there;  but  as  the  season  was  advanced  far  beyond 
what  we  intended  it  should  have  been  before  reaching  that 
place,  it  became  quite  an  important  consideration,  whether  we 
should  make  our  visit  in  that  region  during  the  remainder  of 
the  summer  and  autumn,  and  spend  the  winter  in  New  Eng. 
land,  or  proceed  immediately  on  our  journey,  and  return  there 
for  winter  quarters.  The  latter,  however,  was  finally  agreed 
upon  ;  and  after  visiting  in  a  limited  circuit  among  our  friends, 
which  occupied,  however,  about  four  weeks,  we  set  our  faces 
toward  New  England  ;  and  as  the  largest  number  of  our  rel- 
atives then  resided  in  Vermont,  that,  of  course,  became  the 
object  of  our  first  desire.  We  traveled  with  as  much  expe- 
dition as  we  conveniently  could,  making  a  short  visit  on  the 
way,  in  Charleton,  Saratoga  county,  where  resided  several 
children  of  a  deceased  brother  of  my  wife,  and  arrived  at  the 


432  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

house  of  my  brother-in-law,  in  Bridgewater,  Windsor  county' 
on  the  fifteenth  of  September.  It  had  been  fifteen  years  since 
my  wife  had  visited  her  friends  in  that  country,  and  between 
thirteen  and  fourteen  years  since  I  there,  at  that  very  house, 
took  the  last  parting  farewell  of  my  revered  and  aged  mother. 
She  there  spent  the  last  days  of  her  long  and  useful  life  ; 
and  her  remains  sleep  in  a  little  rural  cemetery  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, with  a  very  humble  monumental  stone  to  mark  the 
place  of  her  interment,  on  which  is  the  following  inscription, 
prepared  by  my  own  hand  and  forwarded  to  my  sister,  soon 
after  her  death. 

IN 

Memory  of  ANNA,  Relict  of 
RUFUS    STACY, 

Who  departed  this  life,  Feb.  26th,  1837  : 
In  the  92d  year  of  her  age. 


Long  was  she  spared,  by  Heaven's  kind  behest — 
In  virtue's  path  her  friends  and  children  bless'd  ; 
Her  hope,  triumphant,  soai-'d  o'er  death's  dread  gloom. 
That  Christ  should  wake  her  slumbers  from  the  tomb  ! 


I  visited  the  spot ;  and  penetential  tears  coursed  down  my 
cheeks,  at  the  remembrance  of  my  ingratitude  to  the  tender, 
est  and  best  of  mothers  ;  and  that  my  youthful  waywardness 
should  have  caused  her  so  many  anxious  thoughts  and  heart- 
felt pains.  Oh,  what  hoards  of  sorrow  do  thoughtless  and 
wayward  youth  lay  up  for  themselves  in  riper  years  ! 

But  time  waited  not  for  us — the  season  was  rolling  rapidly 
on,  and  we  had  to  hurry  our  visits  much  faster  than  we  de- 
sired. My  other  sister  resided  in  the  town  of  Woodstock — 
she  was  then  a  widow,  having  buried  her  husband  previous 
to  my  former  visit,  and  now  lived  with  her  eldest  son.  We 
made  her  but  a  short  visit  at  this  time,  but  proceeded  imme- 
diately to  Barre,  Washington  county,  whereoneof  my  wife's 
sisters  resided  ;  we  had  already  called  on  her  other  sister  on 
our  journey  hither,  but  as  we  could  stop  at  her  residence  on 
our  route  back  to  New  York,  we  made  her  a  temporary  call. 
Though  many  years  had  elapsed  since  we  had  met  our  bro- 
thers and  sisters  in  Barre,  yet  recognition  was  by  no  means 
difficult  ;  and  we  were  extremely  happy  in  finding  them  in 
health,   though  laboring  under  the  weight  of  many  years. 


LIFE    OF    REV.  NATHANIEL    STACY.  43S 

We  spent  about  one  week  with  them  ;  and  I  enjoyed  the 
privilege  of  once  more  announcing  the  word  of  life  to  a  large 
congregation  in  the  Universalist  meeting-house,  on  Sunday. 
I  also  went  to  the  village  of  Montpelier,  in  order  to  make  a 
short  acquaintance  with  Rev.  Eli  Ballou,  editor  of  the 
Watchman,  but  had  the  misfortune  to  find  him  absent. 

Painful  as  the  task  was  to  take  each  other  by  the  hand,  in 
all  probability,  for  the  last  time,  (  as  it  has  actually  proved 
in  the  case  of  brother  and  sister  Lawson,  for  both  have  de- 
parted this  life,)  it  must  be  performed  ;  and,  grateful  to  God 
for  the  privilege  of  meeting  once  more  in  the  flesh,  but  with 
painful  feelings  on  separation,  we  performed  the  solemn  and 
melancholy  ceremony,  and  commenced  our  returning  steps. 
We  however  took  a  circuitous  route  on  our  return,  to  visit 
three  of  my  sister's  sons  who  resided  in  the  town  of  North- 
field  ;  but  on  the.  day  following  v/e  again  reached  Bridgewa- 
ter.  In  this  town,  and  in  Woodstock,  we  spent  another 
week ;  and  for  the  first  and  last  time  in  my  life,  I  took  hold 
of  the  hand  of  Rev.  Russel  Streeter.  I  was  informed  that  he 
resided  at  Woodstock  Green,  and  thither  I  went  on  purpose 
to  see  him  ;  for  he  seemed  like  an  old  acquaintance,  although 
we  had  never  seen  each  other's  face  in  the  flesh.  It  was 
little  past  the  middle  of  the  day  when  I  reached  his  residence, 
and  inquired  for  him  without  giving  my  name.  liis  lad}^  in- 
vited me  to  a  seat,  and  said  she  would  call  him.  He  had 
evidently  been  lying  down  ;  for  he  entered  the  room  rubbing 
his  eyes,  and  approaching  me,  said,  "  I  believe  this  is  brother 
Stacy."  Our  hands  met  in  the  paternal  warmth  of  long  in- 
timacy, and  a  short  season  was  happily  improved  ;  but  it 
was  short,  as  all  my  visits  were  necessarily  obliged  to  be 
during  that  journey. 

Sunshine  and  clouds  are  uniformly  interspersed  through 
the  atmosphere  of  human  life.  Pleasure  and  pain  are  man's 
alternate  companions,  and  joy  and  sorrow  are  mingled  in  the 
cup  that  Providence  places  in  his  hand.  We  had  experienced 
the  sunshine,  we  had  enjoyed  the  pleasure,  we  had  quaffed 
with  delightful  gust  the  surface  of  our  cup,  but  the  clouds 
now  began  to  lov/er,  at  the  painful  necessity  of  draining  its 
bitter  dregs !  Time  sped,  on  its  everlasting,  untiring  wings, 
and  brought  the  day  of  our  separation.  And  although  our 
hearts  throbbed  with  emotions  of  profound  gratitude  to  God, 
for  the  hitherto  prosperity  of  our  journey  and  the  inestima- 
B — B 


434  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

ble  privileges  we  had  enjoyed,  still  an  indescribable  pain  siiof 
through  the  latent  fibres  of  the  soul,  when  our  hands,  proba- 
bly for  the  last  time,  grasped  the  hands  of  our  separating 
friends !  We  turned  our  faces,  quick  as  possible,  to  conceal 
the  emotion  we  could  not  suppress,  and  drove  off  with  as 
much  speed  as  prudence  would  allow,  to  try,  by  the  interest 
new  objects  would  excite,  and  the  anticipations  of  pleasure 
still  in  reserve  in  visiting  our  native  country,  to  overcome 
the  gloom  of  the  present  moment. 

Our  way  lay  through  one  of  the  most  romantic  regions  of 
that  mountainous  State,  through  ravines  excavated  by  the 
everlasting  flow  of  the  mountain  streams,  among  bold  and 
lofty  eminences  whose  cloud-capt  summits  often  defied  the 
penetration  of  our  sharpest  gaze  ;  but  when  the  sunbeams 
had  dispersed  the  fog,  and  thrown  the  night-cap  from  the 
heads  of  these  gigantic  hills,  we  could  easily  discover  upon 
their  precipitous  sides,  and  even  on  their  summits,  handsome 
plantations  and  splendid  buildings,  which,  however,  would 
seem  to  require  the  wings  of  an  eagle  to  reach  them.  Often 
at  a  short  distance  ahead,  it  appeared  that  our  course  must  be 
obstructed  by  an  inaccessible  mountain,  through  which  no 
possible  pass  could  be  found  ;  but  ere  we  reached  the  spot  a 
sudden  turn  in  the  road  would  discover  a  pass  which  nature 
had  formed,  and  the  untiring  search  of  man  had  found  ;  and 
whose  ingenuity  and  skill  had  converted  into  one  of  the 
most  level,  smooth,  and  safely  guarded  roads,  that  I  ever 
traveled  in  my  life.  We  passed  on  leaving  South  Wood- 
stock, where  we  parted  with  the  last  of  our  relatives  through 
Reading,  Weathersfield,  and  Springfield,  and  crossed  Con- 
necticut river  on  Cheshire  bridge. 

While  riding  in  the  town  of  Reading,  I  discovered  by  the 
way-side  a  roughly-wrought  stone,  with  some  inscription  on 
it.  Curiosity  led  me  to  descend  from  the  carriage  and  ex- 
amine it.  It  purported  to  have  been  erected  to  the  memory 
of  Capt.  James  Johnson,  who,  with  his  family,  were  taken 
prisoners  by  the  Indians,  in  August,  1754,  and  brought  to 
that  place,  then  a  dense  and  howling  wilderness  ;  and  within 
half  a  mile  of  the  spot  where  the  stone  is  erected,  his  wife 
was  delivered  of  a  child  !  Upon  the  stone,  just  above  the  in- 
scription, was  rudely  carved  an  Indian  in  his  savage  costume, 
with  his  tomahawk  in  hand. 

The  weather  was  pleasant,  roads  excellent,  and  we  traveled 


LIFE    OF    REV.  NATHANIEL    STACY.  435 

from  Woodstock,  Vermont,  to  New  Salem,  Massachusetts,  a 
distance  of  one  hundred  miles,  in  two  days.  But  although 
our  speed  was  rapid,  thought  was  equally  as  active. 

Reminiscences  of  an  interesting  character  were  awakened 
in  passing  through  nearly  every  town.  Forty  years  before 
this,  I  h£id  passed  for  the  last  time  through  this  region  of 
country,  although,  previously,  I  had  frequently  traveled  the 
road.  After  crossing  Connecticut  river,  we  passed  through 
Charlestown,  Walpole,  Surrey,  Keen,  and  Winchester,  New 
Hampshire ;  Warwick,  and  Orange,  Massachusetts.  In 
Winchester,  I  received  my  letter  of  fellowship,  as  a  preacher 
of  the  Gospel.  In  Walpole,  I  had  supplied  the  desk  for  a 
Congregationalist  clergyman,  Rev.  Thomas  Fessenden,  one 
Sabbath— -in  Surrey,  I  had  lectured  in  the  house  of  the  ven- 
erable Zebulon  Streeter  ;  and,  all  along  our  route,  I  had 
formed  acquaintances  with  aged  fathers  in  our  Israel,  whose 
counsel  I  delighted  to  listen  to,  but  who  had  long  since  bade 
adieu  to  earthly  associations  and  toils. 

We  arrived  in  New  Salem  on  the  4th  day  of  October ; 
but,  alas !  though  the  land  of  our  nativity,  it  afforded  a 
gloomy  resting-place  for  us.  Twenty. three  years  had  rolled 
away  since  we  set  foot  upon  our  native  soil ;  and  those  years 
had  swept  our  kindred  and  acquaintances  from  the  land,  or 
wrought  such  changes  upon  them  as  to  render  them  entire 
strangers  to  us,  except  in  a  very  few  instances.  None  of  our 
relatives,  not  any  of  the  children  or  the  posterity  of  our 
fathers  remained,  except  an  aged  half-sister  of  mine,  eighty- 
five  years  old,  and  a  son  and  daughter  of  hers,  and  three 
children  of  a  sister  of  my  wife,  who  were  Ihtle  ones  when 
we  last  saw  them*  Time  had  so  changed  the  few  that  re- 
mained, with  whom  we  had  associated  in  early  life,  that  we 
gazed  at  each  other  in  apparent  astonishment  wlien  we  met. 
Nevertheless,  there  was  a  thrill  of  melancholy  pleasure  when 
we  stepped  on  our  native  soil,  and  retraced  the  paths  of  our 
youthful  gambols — when  we  viewed  the  streamlets  to  whose 
ripples  we  had  listened  in  childhood,  the  pastures  whither  we 
had  driven  the  cattle  to  their  morning's  repast  ;  the  meadows 
where  we  had  gathered  the  delicious  strawberry  ;  the  hills 
we  had  climbed  to  pick  the  sweet-whortleberry,  or  collect 
chestnuts  from  the  burrs  which  the  chattering  squirrel  would 
drop  dov/n  to  us ;  or  the  smooth  rock  on  which  we  sat  under 
the  mellow  light  of  the  full-orbed  moon,  to  listen  to  the  plain- 


430  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

live  notes  of  the  whip-po'-will.  Even  the  barren  pitch-pine 
plain,  over  which  we  had  rambled  to  gatlier  winter-greens- 
and  blue-berries,  and,  at  the  rustling  of  a  leaf,  would  startle 
lest  we  should  come  in  contact  with  the  poisonous  fangs 
of  the  rattle-snake,  which  often  concealed  itself  beneath 
sotne  old  moss-covered  log  ;  the  sight  of  the  ponds  on  whose 
waters  we  had  often  paddled  the  rude  canoe,  to  gather  the 
virgin  lily,  which  whitened  its  surface,  or  angle  for  the 
sportive  fish  which  played  beneath — inspired  thoughts  and 
awakened  up  remembrances  of  the  most  thrilling  character, 
and  led  us  to  repeat  with  a  little  variation,  the  well  known 
stanza  : 

'■■  How  dear  to  our  hearts  are  the  scenes  of  our  childhood^ 

Each  streamlet,  each  hillock,  each  mountain  and  dell ; 

The  plain  and4:he  meadow,  the  pasture  and  wild-wood. 

And  e'en  the  mde  bucket  that  hangs  in  the  well." 

But  above  all,  here  reposed  the  remains  of  our  fathers,  and 
very  many  of  the  dear  ones  with  whom  we  associated  in  early 
life.  The  place  seemed  sacred  to  their  memory  ;  we  felt, 
when  approaching  the  little  mounds  which  marked  their  rest- 
ing-place, as  though  we  stepped  "on  holy  ground,"  and  must 
'•  put  oft'  our  shoes  from  offour  feet,"  nor  utter  a  word  "  above 
our  breath."  But  alas!  when  I  entered  the  cemetery  where 
the  succeeding  generations  of  my  native  town  had  been 
gathered,  and  where  the  mortal  remains  of  very  many  of 
my  early  associates  slept  in  everlasting  repose,  and  where  I 
knew  that  the  remains  of  my  father  were  deposited,  having 
no  one  to  guide  me,  I  was  unable  to  find  the  spot. 

We  remained  in  this  region  thirteen  days  only.  My  eld- 
est brother  had,  a  few  years  previous,  removed  from  that 
town  to  Phillipstown,  about  sixteen  or  eighteen  miles  from 
that  place  ;  and  during  the  period  above  stated,  we  made  his 
family  a  shore  visit,  but  found  him  absent.  About  the  time 
we  loft  Madison  county,  he  started  for  that  place,  to  visit  his 
children  there,  and  spend  the  winter  among  them.  Although 
disappointed,  I  did  not  regret  the  circumstances,  inasmuch 
as  we  were  calculating  to  return  immediately  there,  it  would 
afford  m'^  a  much  longer  time  to  enjoy  his  company.  We 
also  called  on  Rev.  J.  Flao;g,  in  the  adjacent  town  of  Dana, 
whose  family  we  found  in  deep  mourning — four  days  before 
this,  he  had  buried  his  wife. 

I  found  the  cause  of  divine  truth  progressing  in  every 
place  I  visited,  but  in  none   more  so  than  in  the  town  of  my 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  437 

Eiatlvity.  Many  years  ago,  when  the  interesting  questions  of 
Trinitarianism,  and  Unitarianism  became  subjects  of  dis- 
cussion in  the  Congregational,  or  Standing  Order  churches  in 
New  England,  and  produced  the  existing  division  among 
them,  a  majority  of  the  church  in  New  Salem,  with  their 
pastor,  Mr.  Harden,  took  the  ground  of  Unitarianism  and  co]5- 
sequently  professed  great  liberality.  But  although  the  Uni- 
versalists  held  meetings  in  the  town,  often,  if  not  regularly, 
none  of  the  Standing  Order  church,  either  preacher  or 
layman,  associated  with  them,  but  kept  as  great  a  distance 
as  the  most  rigid  Orthodox.  I  had  always  held  meetings 
in  the  town  whenever  I  visted  my  parents,  and  often  in  dif- 
ferent neighborhoods  ;  but,  vviih  very  few  exceptions,  none 
of  the  members  of  the  Congregational  church  had  ever  been 
at  my  meetings;  but  now  I  found  a  great  change  in  that 
respect.  The  generation  that  had  formerly  taken  the  lead 
had  passed  from  the  stage,  and  their  posterity  had  been 
reared  up  under  more  liberal  sentiments  than  were  iheir 
fathers,  and  began  to  bring  their  principles  more  fully  into 
practice.  Universalist  preachers  had  been  invited  into  the 
old  parish  meeting-house,  and  the  "  good  seed"  had  fallen 
upon  a  favorable  soil.  I  was  now  requested,  earnestly  re- 
quested, to  preach  in  the  old  parish  church.  But  one  Sab- 
bath was  all  that  I  could  spend  in  the  town,  having  engaged 
to  preach  one  in  Dana.  Although  Mr.  Harden  preached 
now  but  half  the  Sundays  in  New  Salem,  that  was  the  day 
of  his  meeting  ;  and,  whether  he  would  give  up  the  house 
for  the  day,  or  any  part  thereof  to  me,  was  still,  in  the  opin- 
ion of  a  number  of  his  parishioners,  quite  problematical. 
The  experiment,  however,  they  said  should  be  made,  and  if 
he  refused,  a  meeting  should  be  held  in  the  town-house,  in 
the  immediate  vicinity.  It  so  happened,  however,  that  Mr. 
Harden  exchanged  that  day  with  a  young  man  from  North- 
field,  and  he  very  readily  consented  to  let  me  occupy  half 
the  day.  We  were  introduced  on  Sabbath  morning,  walked 
to  the  church  together,  and,  at  his  proposal,  (I  mention  this  in 
commendation  of  his  liberality)  took  seats  together  in  the 
desk.  I  prayed  for  him  in  the  morning,  and  he  prayed  for 
me  in  the  afternoon.  Whatever  eflect  my  discourse  had  on 
hintJ,  I  can  not  say,  but  I  was  much  edified  with  his  ;  there 
was  not  a  sentence,  nor  a  word,  that  I  could  not  conscien- 
tiously respond  to.      That  day,  however,  was  a  season  of 


43S  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

profound  and  thrilling  sensibility  to  me.     I  was  now  in  the 
house   where,  in  my  boyhood,  I  had  uniformly  attended  re- 
ligious service  ;  where  the  congregation  were  all  known  to 
me,  both  the  gray  headed  and  the  youth  ;  where  I  listened 
to   the    eloquent  words   of    Rev.    Joel   Foster,   the  earliest 
preacher  I  ever  heard,  whose  flexible,  musical  voice  always 
captivated  me  ;  and  it  seemed,  when  I  entered  the  house,  as 
though  I  should  see  him  ;  and  my   imagination   painted  the 
scene  in  such  vivid  colors,  that  I  could  easily  fancy  1  heard 
his  voice,  in  its  musical  and  measured  tones,  still  ringing  in 
my  ears  !     So  lively  was  the  picture  in  my  imagination,  that 
I  could   not  avoid  alluding  to  it  in  my  introduction.     Joel 
Foster  was   settled  in  that  parish  in  my  infancy.      He  was 
then  a  young  man,  and,  I   believe,  the  second  clergyman 
ever  settled  in  New  Salem,  (the  first  was  a  Mr.  Kendall) — 
and  he  continued  as  pastor  of  the  church  until  I  became  of 
age,  and  began  to    wander  about    the    world.     It   was  not 
strange,  therefore,  that  visions  of  him  should  haunt  my  im- 
agination when  I  entered  the  church  ;   but  solemn  reflection 
reminded  me  that  his  voice  was  long  since  hushed  in  death  ! 
When  I  looked  around  upon  the  congregation — for  the  house 
was  well  filled — there  were  but  four  faces  besides  my  wife's 
that   looked    familiar  ;  and    one  of  them   was  that   of  Mr. 
Fiagg,  who  came  from  Dana  purposely  to  attend  the  meet- 
ing.    But  I  suppressed  my  emotions  as  well  as  I  possibly 
could — and  profound  attention  was  given  to  my  message — 
so  much  so,  that  my  associate  preacher  took  notice  of  it, 
and,  although  he  expressed  no  opinion  in  regard  to  the  dis- 
course, yet  he  remarked  "  You  can  not  complain  that  you 
did  not  receive  ^oo(Z  attention."'     This  whole  circumstance, 
together  with  the  reflection  that  it  was  the  residence  of  my 
progenitors,  and  the  home  of  their  graves — the  parish  of  my 
nativity,  and  the  school  of  my  first  religious  instruction  and 
impressions,  awakened  in  my  soul  a  peculiar  interest  in  the 
well-being  of  the  members  of  that  parish  ;  and  I  was  made 
unspeakably  happy  in  hearing,  less  than  two  years  from  that 
time,  that  that  same  parish  had  actually  settled  a  Universal- 
ist  preacher  as  pastor  of  the  church. 

We  experienced  no  little  disappointment  in  one  respect — 
when  I  first  anticipated  this  tour,  afier  our  removal  from 
Michigan,  I  intended  to  have  prosecuted  our  journey  much 
farther,  and  have  visited  Boston,  and  many  other  places  on 


© 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  439 

the  Atlantic  coast.     My  intention  was  to  leave  in  the  fall, 
spend    the     winter    in    Central    New    York,    and    employ 
the  whole  of  the  following^  warm  season  on  the  tour  of  New 
England,  which  would   have   afforded  us  sufficient  time  to 
gratify  our  wishes  to  the  utmost  extent.     But  a  wise  Provi- 
dence seemed  to  indicate  that  my  calculation  was  not  best; 
and   by  throwing  obstacles  in  our  way,  prevented  us  from 
starting  until  the  opening  of  Spring  ;  then,  by  unavoidable 
hindrances,  we  were  detained  till  near  midsummer  before 
we  got  fairly  started.     This  brought  it  so  late  in  the  season 
by  the  time  we   reached  our  native  place,  that  we  dare  not 
push  our  journey  farther,  nor  tarry  long  here,  lest  the  snow 
upon  the   Green  Mountains,  over  which   we  had  to  pass  on 
our  return,  should  effectually  obstruct  our  passage.     Con- 
sequently, on  the  17th  day  of  October,  we  bade  farewell  to 
our  friends,    and  probably  a  long  farewell  to  the  land  that 
gave  us  birth,  and  set  our  faces  once  more  for  the  west.     We 
shaped  our  course  for  Bratileborough,  designing  to  cross  the 
mountain    from    Wilmington    to    Bennington.     In    Brattle- 
borough  I  had  a  cousin,  Samuel  Elliott,  Esq.,  the  only  sur- 
viving member  of  the  family  of  a  beloved  aunt,  and  in  age 
about  two  years  my  senior,  with  whom  I  had   spent  many 
days  in   youthful  plays  and  gambols,  but   whom  I  had  not 
seen  for  many  years.     We  reached ^his  residence  just  before 
nightfall  on  the  day  we  left  New  Salem,  and  found  him  in 
health,  and   surrounded   with  all   the    comforts  of  life,  and 
very  pleasantly  employed  in  assisting  his  young  wife,  the 
third  he   had   married,  in  nursing  and  fondling  their  young 
child.     We  could  remain  with  him  but  one  night — the  next 
morning  we  made  a  momentary  call  on  Mr.  Ballou,  aUniver- 
salist  preacher  who  ministers  in  that  place,  and  pursued  our 
journey,  through  cold   and  chilly  winds,  and  over  rugged 
hiilsj^to  Wilmington,  and  stopped  with  Mr.  Bailey,  the  Uni- 
versalist  clergyman,  for  the  night.     Nearly  forty  years  had 
elapsed  since  I  had  been  in  that  town  to  make  a  visit,  and 
not   one   of  ray   former    acquaintances  remained.     But  the 
cause  had  flourished — a  good   society  had  grown    up,   and 
they  enjoyed  steady  preaching.      We  found  in  Mr.  Bailey 
and    his  companion   fervent  and  faithful   believers,    perse- 
vering and   z'^alous  advocates  of  the  Great  Salvation,  and 
aftable,  and   kind-hearted   companions.       He  had  a  confer- 
ence meeting  appointed  for  that  evening,  in  a  remote  part  of 


4-iO  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

the  town,  several  miles  from  his  residence;  and  notwiib' 
standing  the  fatigues  of  my  journey,  I  accompanied  him  and 
his  lady  to  the  meeting,  and  at  the  earnest  request  of  the  As- 
sembly delivered  them  a  discourse.  The  next  day  we 
crossed  the  Green  Mountains  to  Bennington,  where  we 
spent  one  day  with  the  family  of  a  nephew  of  mine  ;  and 
the  day  following  reached  the  residence  of  the  sister  of  my 
wife,  heretofore  mentioned.  By  this  pe-rseverance  on  our 
journey,  we  just  escaped  the  dreaded  mountain  storm  ;  for 
before  reaching  the  residence  of  our  sister,  a  storm  befran 
which  lasted  several  days,  and  several  inches  of  snow 
covered  the  ground  ;  and  which,  detained  us  in  this  neigh- 
borhood a  full  week,  before  we  could  pursue  our  journey. 
We  now  pursued  our  course  leisurely  ;  for  we  had  to  buffet 
with  rough  roads  and  cold  weather.  We  spent  one  Sabbath 
in  Duanesburgh,  where  Mr.  Lyon  was  then  settled  ;  and  I 
had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  his  society  and  delivering  them 
a  discourse.  The  next  Sunday  we  sp'^'Ut  in  Cooperstown, 
where  ]\Ir.  Whiston  was  preaching.  This  was  within  the 
field  of  my  own  labors  for  many  years — the  day  we  spent 
there  was  quite  stormy,  the  snow  several  inches  deep,  and 
still  falling,  the  congregation  small,  and  but  very  few  of  my 
old  acquaintances  present.  But  the  cause  was  prospering 
under  the  ministry  of  our  excellent  brother  Whiston,  and 
the  prospects  were  encouarging.  The  Tuesday  following  we 
again  started  on  our  journey  ;  and  by  steadily  persevering 
in  my  course  over  the  hills,  and  wallowing  through  drifts  of 
snow,  at  some  places,  nearly  as  high  as  the  hubs  of  our  car- 
riage wheels,  we  arrived  at  Hamilton,  Madison  county,  after 
two  days'  traveling,  on  the  16ih  of  November.  We  had 
been  absent  on  our  eastern  tour  two  months  and  eleven 
days.  We  considered  our  journey  ended  for  the  present — 
we  expected  indeed  to  travel  much  through  the  winter,  but 
it  would  be  merely  through  the  neighboring  towns.  No 
long  tours  were  contemplated,  and  we  calculated  to  take- 
time  for  our  peregrinations,  and  improve  the  most  comforta- 
ble  weather  a  kind  Providence  should  affird  us. 

We  soon  found  my  brother,  among  his  children,  and  during 
the  winter  we  were  much  together.  The  circumstance  of 
his  having  come  into  that  country  to  spend  the  winter  with 
his  children,  without  having  the  most  distant  anticipation 
of  my  contemplated  visit  there^  and  the  disappointment  I  ex- 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY. 


441 


perienced  in  not  finding  him  with  his  family  in  New  Eng- 
land, I  set  down  as  one  among  hundreds  of  instances,  in  the 
course  of  my  life,  where  a  kind  Providence  has  thwarted  my 
own  calculations,  to  bless  me  with  privileges  I  should  sure- 
ly have  deprived  myself  of,  had  I  been  permitted  to  pursue 
my  own  inclination  ;  and  these  events  have  abundantly 
taught  me  to  be  reconciled  to  any  and  every  providential  de- 
rangement of  my  own  calculations,  and  inspired  my  soul 
with  confidence  in  the  divine  government.  Had  I  found 
h'im  at  home,  onr  visit  must  have  been  very  brief,  not  ex- 
ceeding forty-eight  hours  ;  but  now  we  were  permitted  to 
be  often  togetlier  for  nearly  five  months,  and  it  was  the  last 
meeting  we  ever  had,  or  ever  can  have  in  tiie  flesh.  I  took 
his  hand  for  the  last  time,  in  the  city  of  Rochester,  in  April 
following,  whither  he  had  preceded  me  to  visit  two  of  his 
childrenwho  resided  in  that  region.  Soon  after  this  he  re- 
turned to  his  residence  in  Massachusetts,  where,  in  Decern- 
ber  following,  he  was  gathered  to  his  fathers  ! 

Although  we  made  no  long  journeys  through  the  winter, 
we  nevertheless  were  constantly  on  the  move.  Our  familiar 
acquaintances  were  scattered  over  the  counties  of  Madison, 
Chenango,  Oneida,  Herkimer,  and  Otsego,  and  urgent  calls 
for  visits  and  meetings  were  made  and  repeated  in  rapid  suc- 
cession, as  soon  as  it  became  known  that  we  designed  to  spend 
the  winter  in  that  ccfUntry.  In  the  course  of  the  winter,  I 
attended  four  conferences,  or  two  days'  meeting ;  one  in 
Sherburne,  one  in  Cedarville,  one  at  Richville-springs,  and 
another  in  Columbus  ;  and  besides  preaching  in  Flamilton  on 
every  Sabbath  we  spent  in  that  town,  I  held  meetings  in  the 
towns  of  Lebanon,  Brookfield,  Eaton,  Smithfield,  Richfield, 
Bridgewater,  Columbus,  New  Berlin,  Sherburne,  Smyrna, 
Marshall,  Litchfield,  and  Fenner ;  delivered  a  discourse  to 
an  immense  congregation  on  Christmas  eve,  in  Lebanon,  and 
officiated  at  seven  funerals.  Among  the  funerals  I  was  called 
upon  to  attend,  there  was  one  that  deserves  special  notice. 
Mr.  David  Dunbar  and  his  wife  were  among  my  earliest  and 
most  devoted  friends  in  the  town  of  Hamilton — among  the 
very  first  members  of  the  society  organized  in  1805,  and  the 
most  regular  attendants  on  our  meetings,  until  she  lost  her 
heaUh,  so  that  for  the  most  part  of  the  time,  for  more  than 
thirty  years,  she  was  confined  to  her  house  ;  but  after  that 
sad  calamity,  he  and  his  famjly  were  never  absent  from  our 


442  ME3I0IRS    OF    THE 

church  until  I  removed,  when  able  to  attend.     In  1829,  the 
year  before  I  removed  to  Hamilton,  they  lost  a  beloved  and 
very  promising  son,  in  the  twenty-second  year  of  his  age,  un- 
der the  most  afflicting  circumstances.     Mrs.  Dunbar  had  then 
been  confined  for  many  years  to  her  house,  though  not  to  her 
bed,  and  had  borne  her  sufferings  and  privations  with  the  most 
Christian  fortitude  and  resignation  ;  and  even  under  that  heavy 
additional  affliction  she  complained  not,  but,  being  sustained 
by  the  well-grounded  hope  of  immortality,  and  a  faith  of  as- 
surance in  God's  universal  grace,  she  was  cheerful  and  hap- 
py  under  that  tremendous  shock  !     Her  composure,  her  resig- 
nation, appeared  to  me  truly  miraculous  !     Oh,  how  severely 
rebuked  I  felt  for  my  spiritual  leanness,  when  I  witnessed 
with  what  calmness  she  bowed  to  the  will  of  God,    and  with 
what  confidence  and  cheerful  resignation  she  reposed  in  the 
arms  of  infinite  Mercy.     Not  many  days  after,  while  in  con- 
versation with  her  on  the  subject,  she  expressed  an  opinion 
that  she  should  not  long  survive,  said  she  had  been  selecting 
a  text  for  me  to  preach  from  on  her  funeral  occasion,  taking 
the  Bible  which  she  always  kept  within  her  reach,  for  it  was 
her  daily  companion,  and  showed  me  a  text,  requesting  me  to 
remember  it.     The  next  year,  I  removed  to  Pennsylvania, 
and  subsequently  to  Michigan,  and  the  circumstance  became 
substantially  obliterated  from  my  memory.    When  we  arrived 
at  Hamilton,  on  our  journey  to  New  l?ngland,  however,  we 
found  Mrs.  Dunbar  alive,  and  as  little  changed,  in  every  re- 
spect, as  any  person,  young  or  old,  that  we  found  among  our 
numerous  acquaintances;  and  although  she  was  deprived  of 
the  privileges  of  public  worship,  and  hearing  the  preaching  of 
the  Gospel,  she  nevertheless  abode  steadfast  in  the  faith,  and 
strong  in  the  Lord.     She  could  read,  and  did  read  the  Bible — 
her  consolation  and  support — and  from  its  sacred  pages  she 
extracted  the  bread  of  life,  whicli  daily  supplied  her  with  re- 
newed strength.     Thus  we  left  her  when  we  started  for  New 
England,  and  thus  we  found  her  on  our  return.     But  while 
I  was  absent,  in  the  month  of  February,  attending  an  appoint- 
ment in  the  town  of  Litchfield,  she  was  suddenly  and  vio- 
lently seized  with  an  epidemic,  then  prevalent  throughout  the 
country  ;  and  on  my  return  to  Marshall,  where  I  had  left  my 
wife,  I  was  informed  that  she  was  evidently  at  the  point  of 
death.     We  hurried  as  flist  as  possible  to  Hamilton,  but  just 
before  we  reached  her  habitation,  she  breathed  her  last.    Af- 


LIFE    OF     REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  443 

ter  the  emotion  occasioned  by  our  entrance  of  the  house  at'that 
pecular  period  had  subsided,  her  daughter  brought  the  Bible, 
and  said,  that  her  mother,  just  before  she  died,  requested  her 
to  get  the  Bible,  so  as  to  be  sure  no  mistake  could  be  made, 
and  mark  with  a  pencil  the  text  she  had  selected  for  me  so 
many  years  ago,  and  remind  me  of  it  as  soon  as  I  arrived. 
Fifteen  years  had  elapsed  since  she  had  selected  the  text,  and 
requested  me  to  preach  from  it  at  her  funeral.  Most  of  that 
time  we  had  resided  three  hundred  miles  apart,  and  a  part  of 
it  over  five  hundred ;  but  a  mysterious  Providence  had  sent 
me  there  in  season  to  comply  with  the  request  of  Ifis  sainted 
handmaid.  The  text  is  recorded  in  1st  Corinthians  15  :  51, 
52,  53,  54.  The  occasion  of  her  funeral  was  solemn  and  in- 
teresting  almost  beyond  a  parallel.  Multitudes  asembled, 
for  she  was  universally  esteemed ;  and  I  never  saw  more  in- 
tense  sensibility  manifested  by  a  whole  congregation  at  any 
funeral ;  and  I  firmly  believe  it  was  blessed  to  the  spiritual 
benefit  of  many  who  attended.  One  man — one  who  had  never 
professed  faith  in  the  doctrine,  who  seldom  attended  my  meet- 
ings while  I  resided  in  Hamilton,  and  .who  followed  her  to 
the  unseen  world  about  the  time  I  left  Madison  county — came 
to  me  after  the  discourse,  and,  talting  my  hand,  said,  with  tears 
in  his  eyes,  "  1  bless  God  that  1  have  heard  your  voice  once 
more." 

The  winter  passed  off*  very  pleasantly,  and,  we  hoped,  not 
unprofitably.  But  we  had  children  at  home  ;  and,  although 
we  had  often  heard  from  them,  by  keeping  up  a  correspondence 
in  writing  as  often  as  once  or  twice  a  month  during  the  whole 
season  of  our  absence ;  still,  as  the  returning  sun  freed  the 
earth  of  its  white  mantle — as  the  "  flowers  appeared  upon  the 
earth,  and  the  time  of  the  singing  of  the  birds"  came,  our  hearts 
felt  an  irresistibly  yearning  to  meet  our  offspring  once  more. 
Accordingly,  as  soon  as  the  roads  became  sufficiently  settled, 
which  was  quite  early  that  year,  v/e,  on  the  twenty-second  of 
April,  took  leave  of  Madison  county,  and  our  almost  countless 
friends  in  that  region  of  country,  and  began  our  journey  for 
home.  We  made  but  short  calls  on  our  way,  and  on  the  sec- 
ond day  of  May  we  reached  the  residence  of  our  daughter, 
in  Cattaraugus  county.  There  we  remained  a  short  time  to 
rest  ourselves,  and  recruit  our  horse  ;  and  on  the  tenth  of  that 
month  reached  our  own  dwelling. 

To  us,  that  was  one  of  the  most  interestinij  tours  we  ever 


444  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

made  ;  and  the  remembrance  of  it,  as  long  as  we  are  tenants 
of  this  mundane  sphere,  will  atlbrd  us  the  highest  gratifica- 
tion, and  cause  the  most  devout  aspirations  of  gratitude  to  Al- 
mighty God.     It  seemed  to  be  wholly  Providential  in  all  its 
bearings.     We  had  been   absent  about  eleven  months,  had 
traveled  in  all  our  devious  wanderings  more  than  two  thou- 
and  miles,  and  never  met  with  a  single  accident — not  so  much 
as  to  lose  a  pin  from  our  carriage,  or  a  shoe  from  our  horse. 
We  had  enjoyed  unusually  good  health,  seen  vast  numbers  of 
our  highly  esteemed  and  beloved  friends,  visited  numerous 
societies  ♦'hich,  under  God,  owed  the  germ  of  their  existence 
to  my  feeble  labors,  and  who  were  not   forgetful  of  the  cir- 
cumstance, but  greeted  us  with  the  affection  and  attachment 
of  grateful  and  obedient  children.     We  had  witnessed  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  holy  cause  of  redeeming  grace,  not  only  in 
the  field  of  our  early  labors,  but  also  in  the  land  which  gave 
us  birth,  and  in  various  other  parts  of  the  Redeemer's  herit- 
age.    We  had  visited  most  of  the  surviving  posterity  of  our 
fathers,  and  many  of  them  for  the  last  time.     And,  had  we 
delayed  our  journe3jtwo  years  longer,  that  gratifying  but  mel- 
ancholy reflection  could  not  have  mingled  with  the  remini- 
scences of  future  years.     When  we  arrived  at  our  home,  my 
wife  had  a  sister  and  her  husband  living  in  Vermont,  I  had 
a  sister  in  Hamilton,  and  a  half-sister  and  brother  in  Massa- 
chusetts, with  all  of  whom  we  had  enjf)yed  happy  and  pleasant 
visits  ;  but  who  have  all  since  that  time  been  numbered  with 
the  congregation  of  the  dead  !     And  a  vast  many  more,  who 
were  bound  to  us  by  strong  and  endearing  ties  of  consanguin- 
ity and  alfection,  with  whom  we  spent  many  happy  hours  du- 
ring that  season  of  our  peregrinations,  we   can  never  meet 
again  on  this  side  of  the  grave  ;  for  the  great  destroyer  of  our 
race  has  been  busily  at  work  among  them.  • 

On  our  return  home  we  found  all  things  as  we  desired — 
our  children  and  their  families  well,  our  friends  in  health  and 
prosperity — few  or  none  had  been  removed  by  death,  and  they 
gathered  around  us  with  their  usual  atlectionate  greetings. 
How  well  and  freely  then  could  we  pour  out  from  our  sur- 
charged  hearts,  most  devoutly,  the  libations  of  gratitude  and 
praise  to  the  great  Author  of  our  being  and  enjoyments,  in 
tlie  language  of  divine  inspiration  :  "  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my 
soul,  and  let  all  that  is  within  me  bless  his  holy  name.     Bless 


LIFE    OF    EE\r.  NATHANIEL    STACY.  445 

the  Lord,  Omy  soul,  and  forget  not  all  his  benefits  ;  who  for- 
giveth  iniquity;  whohealetli  thy  diseases;  who  redeemeth 
thy  hie  from  destruction;  who  crowneth  thee  with  lovino- kind- 
ness  and  tender  mercy  ;  who  satisfieth  thy  mouth  with  good 
things,  so  that  thy  youth  is  renewed  like  the  eao-le's  " 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


Inquiry  about  the  memoirs  of  my  life — Renewed  resolution  to  try  to  overcome 
obstacles — hindrances — Commencement — Slow  progress— Restless  tem- 
perament— Arrangements  for  a  tour  to  Michigan — ]\iarriage  of  our  young- 
est cliild — Lake  Erie  Association— Legitimate  powers  of  an  Association- 
Mr.  L.  C.  Todd  restored— -Journey  to  Michigan—Disaster  and  fright  on 
the  lake— Arrival  at  Detroit— Mr.  J-  Stebbins—State  of  the  cause,  and  re- 
ligious character  of  the  citizens  in  Detroit — Reception  at  Ann  Arbor*— Im- 
provement of  the  place-~-Sensations  on  entering  the  church— Condition  of 
tlie  society— Mr.  Miles— State  of  the  cause  in  general— Additional  Associ- 
ation-^State  Convention— Periodical  visits  and  meetings — Dr.  T.  C.  Adam 
— Penitenliary'-Mr.  Billings  chaplain"'Terrorinefrectual  to  prevent  crime — 
Mr.  Ring's  influence-^Reformation  of  convicts — Return  home — Reflections 
Conclusion—Number  oi'  States  visited  and  preached  in-— Number  of  dis- 
courses delivered— Number  of  funerals  attended — Number  of  marriages 
solemnized-^Valediction, 

The  inquiry  was  often  made,  in  almost  every  region  we 
visited  on  our  eastern  tour,  in  reference  to  the  memoirs  of  my 
life — when  they  would  be  forth  coming.  For  by  some  means 
an  impression  had  gone  abroad,  even  to  the  most  remote  coun- 
try  we  visited,  that  I  had  promised  to  give  to  the  world  a  his- 
tory of  my  life  ;  and  the  solicitude  that  was  manifested  on 
the  subject  led  me  almost  to  think,  that  my  life  had  been  of 
some  consequence  in  the  world.  Many  whom  I  would  have 
supposed  to  have  better  judgment,  insisted  on  my  doing  it 
without  delay  ;  and  urged,  as  a  reason,  that  the  denomination 
had  a  right  to  demand  of  me  a  history  of  the  rise  and  progress 
of  Universalism  in  the  State  of  New  York,  which  no  other 
individual  could  give  with  equal  accuracy  ;  and  personal 
friends,  who  were  very  numerous,  would  never  feel  satisfied 
without  the  memoirs  of  my  whole  life.  1  concluded,  there- 
fore, if  I  .should  once  more  reach  home,  onerous  and  irksome 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STACY.  447 

as  the  task  might  be,  I  would  surely  becrin  it;  and  if  Heaven 
saw  fit  to  lengthen  out  my  diWs  to  a  sufficient  period  for  that 
purpose,  I  would  give  the  history  of  my  life  to  the  friends  I 
might  leave  behind.  Therefore,  I  concluded  to  make  as  few 
engagements  as  possible,  and  devote  the  most  of  my  time  to 
the  object.^  1  was  not  made  a  Mr.  Rogers,  to  itinerate  everv 
moment  of  my  life,  and  at  the  same  time  to  write  volumes  on 
volumes  for  the  public ;  nor  a  Mr.  Whittemore,  to  superin- 
tend an  extensive  printing  establishment,  edit  a  large  weekly 
paper,  preach  every  Sabbath,  lecture  almost  every  day  in  the 
week  ;  and,  at  the  same  time,  write  an  elaborate  history,  make 
music  books,  publish  extensive  commentaries  on  the  sacred 
Scriptures,  and  almost  numberless  other  volumes  on  thcolo<ry  ; 
neither  my  brains,  nor  my  muscles  were  constituted  for  such 
labors. 

But  my  resolution,  sincerely  as  it  was  made,  was,  like  many 
others  of  a  similar  character,  not  very  strictly  adhered  to.  'l 
was  at  home  again ;  and  the  little  world  in  which  I  moved 
soon  found  it  out,  and  began  to  call,  and  call  loudly,  for  my 
labors.  Besides  the  society  in  Columbus,  other  societies  with 
whom  I  had  labored  insisted  on  a  renewal  of  en2;agements  * 
and  towns  and  neighborhoods,  where  the  doctrine* had  never 
been  introduced,  became  agitated  on  the  subject ;  the  doctrines 

of  Partialism  no  longer  satisfied  the  yearnings  of  the  soul 

they  wanted  to  hear  something  else— to  learn  if  there  was  not 
in  the  volume  of  Revelation  something  more  satisfactory  to  the 
cravings  of  the  immortal  mind.  My  nerves  are  such  that  I 
never  can  withstand  like  urgent  appeals.  1  therefore  soon 
found  myself  engaged,  agreeably  to  former  practice,  travel- 
ing  from  place  to  place,  and  preaching  with  as  much  earnest- 
ness and  zeal  as  the  infirmities  of  my  age  would  possibly  al- 
low me  to  do. 

However,  at  the  beginning  of  the  following  year,  1  com^ 
menced  writing,  and  during  Uie  winter  was  enabled  to  make 
some  progress.  But  although  I  had  not,  like  the  apostle,  the 
^'care  of  all  the  churches,'^  I  felt,  nevertheless,  deeply  inter, 
ested  in  the  advancement  of  the  truth,  and  a  sincere  commis- 
eration  for  the  unhappy  condition  of  the  doubting  and  unbe- 
iieving ;  and  my  heart  most  sensibly  deplored  the  prevalence 
of  scepticism  and  infidelity—the  legitimate  offsprin<T,  as  I  ver- 
ily believe,  of  the  popular  dogmas  and  the  artful  and  delusive 
measures  employed  by  crazy  fanatics,  not  to  say  unprincipled 


448  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

deceivors,  to  spread  tlieir  heart-withering  tenets,  and  replen- 
isli  their  sinking  churches — and  I  could  not  devote  my  time 
to  any  thing  that  would  essentially  interfere  with  the  great 
and  leading  object  of  my  life. 

In  that  way  three  years  were  passed — writing  when  I  could, 
but  traveling  and  preaching  more;  when  my  restless  spirit 
began  agaia  to  move  me  to  go  abroad.  How  others  are  made 
I  know  not.  God,  undoubtedly,  constitutionally  fits  each 
man  for  the  sphere  in  which  he  designs  he  should  move,  and 
bestows  upon  him  those  moral  and  intellectual  endowments 
which,  by  proper  culture,  qualify  him  for  his  assigned  post, 
in  the  great  machinery  of  the  moral  universe  in  which  he  de- 
signed him  to  act.  And  he  has  bestowed  on  me  a  restless 
spirit  which  can  not  long  be  satisfied  with  confinement  to  one 
gpot — to  confine  my  labors  to  one  congregation  of  people,  and 
witness  only  the  advancement  of  truth  in  the  circumscribed 
limits  of  one  community.  To  hear  from  abroad,  excites  in 
me  an  irresistible  desire  to  see,  to  be  a  partaker  of  the  joy, 
and  share  in  the  labors  and  perils  of  those  engaged  in  the  ar- 
duous  work  of-  extending  the  knowledge  of  the  truth,  and  ad- 
vancing  the  cause  of  the  Redeemer  ;  and  especially  in  a  re- 
gion of  my  acquaintance,  and  in  a  field  where  a  portion  of 
my  labors  have  bi  en  employed  ;  in  which  Providence  has  al- 
ways seemed  to  favor  the  gratification  of  this  wandering  in- 
clination. 

Six  years  and  a  half  had  elapsed  since  we  left  Michigan. 
When  we  parted  with  our  friends  there,  they  extorted  from 
us  a  promise  that  we  would  visit  that  country  once  more,  if 
circumstances  would  permit;  and  we  had  been  repeatedly  re- 
minded of  that  promise  by  letters  during  the  intermediate  pe- 
riod. At  length  a  kind  Providence  seemed  to  indicate,  that 
we  might  redeem  that  promise  without  injury  to  ourselves  or 
the  cause,  or  the  violation  of  any  obligation  we  were  under 
to  any  individual  or  to  community.  My  wife  and  1  were  left 
alone  in  our  flimily — our  last  and  youngest  son  having  mar- 
ried and  gone  away  from  us — and  our  children  no  longer  re- 
quired our  guardianship,  and  no  longer  needed  any  thing  at 
our  hands.  We  were  in  possession  of  pretty  good  constitu- 
tions for  people  of  our  age,  in  the  enjoyment  of  comparative- 
ly good  health  ;  and,  looking  around  upon  the  existing  state  of 
things,  I  said  to  my  wife,  as  Paul  said  to  Barnabus,  "Come, 
*  Let  us  go  again,  and  visit  our  brethren  where  we  have  preach- 


LIFE    OF    HEV.    NATHANIEL    STACY,  44?^ 

ed  the  word  of  the  Lord,  and  see   how  they  do.'  "     There- 
fore, in  the  spring  of  1847,  we  made  preparations  for  a  tour 
to  Michigan,  the  last,  quite  probably,  we  shall  ever  make  to 
that  country  ;  but  "  God  only  knoweth."     It  must  be    post- 
poned, however,  until  after  the  session  of  the  Lake  Erie  As- 
sociation, which  met  that  year  on  the  fourth  Wednesday  and 
Thursday  in  June,  in  the  village  of  Conneaut,  Ohio;  for  I 
had  a  strong  desire  to  attend  that  meeting.     I    have  always- 
felt  deeply  interested  in  the  doings  of  our  Associations,  much 
more  so  than  in  those  of  the  State  Convention,  or  that  of  the 
United  States ;  because  I  consider  their  proceedings  vastly 
more  important,  in  regard  to  necessary  order  and  discipline 
in  our  ranks.     They,  being  composed  of  immediate  delegates 
from  the  churches  and  societies — being,  in  fact,  the  assembly 
of  the  churches  and  societies  through  their  only  proper  re- 
presentatives in  council — possess  the  only  legitimate  author- 
ity to  establish  rules  and  regulations  for  the  government  of  the 
order  ;  to  grant  letters  of  fellowship,  determine  the  qualifica- 
tion of  candidates,  confer  ordination,  discipline  offending  mem- 
bers, withdraw  fellowship,  and  do  all  things  pertaining  to  the 
government  of  the  church.     AIL  other  ecclesiastical  bodies^ 
more  remote  from  the  churches,  rightfully  possess  only  advi- 
sory, or  appellatory  powers,  and  always  transcend  their  au- 
thority, whenever  they  presume  to  do  more. 

I  was  peculiarly  happy,  at  that  Association,  in  meeting  I\Ir. 
L.  C.  Todd  for  the  first  time  since  he  resumed  the  ministry  of 
universal  reconciliation.  But  he  was  there,  ''  sitting  at  the 
feet  of  Jesus,  clothed  in  his  right  mind,"  and  in  the  full  stat- 
ure of  a  man  ;  and  I  had  the  unspeakable  pleasure  of  hearing 
the  words  of  life  flow  from  his  lips  in  far  sweeter  strains  than 
before  his  aberration.  From  my  first  acquaintance  with  Mr. 
Todd,  I  considered  him  a  man  capable  of  being  extensively 
serviceable  to  the  cause  of  divine  truth,  and  I  mourned  sin- 
cerely over  what  I  regarded  his  fall,  watching  with  much  so- 
licitude his  movem^ents  ;  because,  for  some  undefinable  rea- 
son, I  ever  indulged  a  presentiment,  and  a  strong  hope,  that 
he  would  again  be  "  restored  to  the  great  Shepherd  and  Bishop' 
of  souls,"  and  become  more  extensively  useful  in  the  cause 
of  the  divine  Master  ;  and  that  hope  then  seemed  ready  to  be 
fulfilled. 

Immediately  afler  the  Association,  we  made  all  necessary 
preparations  for  our  journey,  and  on  the  last  day  of  June  we- 
c — c 


459  MEMOIRS   OF    THE 

left  home.  It  would  have  been  extremely  gratifying  to  us, 
to  have  again  taken  our  own  conveyance,  and  leisurely  pur- 
sued our  journey  over-land  through  the  State  of  Ohio,  visit- 
ing our  friends  and  the  societies  in  that  region  ;  but  the  short- 
ness of  time  we  could  be  allowed  to  be  absent,  admonished 
us  to  take  a  different  course.  We  proceeded  to  Erie,  took 
passage  in  a  steamboat  for  Detroit,  and  from  thence  to  Ann 
Arbor  by  rail-road.  We  were  fortunate  in  obtaining  good 
boats,  and  polite  and  accommodating  captains  and  officers, 
both  in  our  out  and  return  parages.  But  the  first  disaster 
that  ever  happened  to  a  steam-boat  in  which  I  was  a  passenger, 
took  place  during  our  voyage  up  the  lake.  We  left  Erie  at 
eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  of  the  first  of  July,  in  the  splen- 
did new  boat,  Missouri,  which  was  in  the  most  perfect  repair ; 
and  one  of  the  most  pleasant  seasons  I  ever  saw — weather 
fair,  the  lake  perfectly  calm,  and  as  still  as  a  sea  of  molten 
lead.  But  while  puffing  along  at  a  rapid  rate,  about  three  or 
four  hours  above  Cleveland,  a  sudden  and  violent  crash  with 
the  instantaneous  stopping  of  the  boat,  brought  all  the  passen- 
gers to  their  feet,  and  the  cry  of  fire  threw  a  death-like  pale- 
ness  over  every  countenance.  In  a  few  moments,  however, 
it  was  ascertained  that  there  was  no  imminent  danger.  The 
shaft  had  broken,  and  one  wheel  was  shivered  to  pieces,  ren- 
dering it  entirely  useless  ;  and  the  cry  o^  fire  proceeded  from 
some  terrified  individual,  without  other  cause  than  a  bewildered 
imagination.  The  confusion  produced  by  the  alarm  soon  sub- 
sided, and  the  passengers  became  measurably  calm  ;  but  the 
boat  had  become  so  crippled,  that  she  could  not  proceed  on  her 
trip.  Consequently,  she  was  compelled  to  put  about,  and  go 
halting,  like  a  man  with  one  leg,  back  to  the  port  of  Cleve- 
land. My  nerves,  1  believe,  were  not  so  irritable  as  some,  or 
even  as  they  once  were  ;  or  else,  from  the  want  of  feeling,  I 
was  insensible  to  danger  ;  for,  amid  all  the  confusion,  I  felt  no 
alarm  ;  nor  even  could  I  realize  a  single  tremor  of  the  nerves, 
notwithstanding  there  had  been  recently  some  shocking  disas- 
ters on  the  lake,  and,  by  the  burning  of  steam-boats,  a  lament- 
able loss  of  human  life.  I  felt  almost  angry  with  myself  be- 
cause I  could  not  feel  as  others  did,  and  could  assign  no  other 
reason  for  my  indiflerence  only  that  I  must  be  a  person  of  great 
insensibility. 

After  remaining  at  Cleveland  about  two  hours,  the  new  and 
excellent  steamer,  Michigan,  came  into  port  bound  for  Chica- 


LIFE    OF    REV.  NATHANIEL    STACY.  451 

go.  We  obtained  a  passage  on  board  of  her,  and  arrived  at 
Detroit  about  the  middle  of  the  second  day  after  leaving  Erie. 
In  Detroit  my  wife  had  distant  relatives,  children  of  her  eldest 
brother,  and  their  families ;  we  therefore  concluded  to  spend 
some  little  time  with  them  before  proceeding  further.  I  there 
spent  one  Sunday  with  Mr.  J.  Stebbins,  who  had  collected  a 
small  society  of  Universalists  in  the  city,  and  was  ministering 
to  them.  But  Detroit  was  a  hard  place  for  Universalism,  or 
any  thing  that  appeared  like  liberality  in  religious  sentiments. 
Roman  Catholicism  and  orthodox  Protestantism  predominated, 
and  the  inhabitants,  absorbed  in  the  speculations  of  the  world, 
appeared  content  to  let  their  priests  and  clergy  attend  to  all 
matters  of  religion — to  think  and  believe  for  them,  as  well  as 
to  preach  and  pray  for  them — not  having  time  to  spare  from 
their  devotions  to  mammon,  nor  much  inclination  to  do  either 
for  themselves.  During  my  whole  residence  in  Michigan,  I 
never  delivered  but  one  discourse  in  the  city  of  Detroit,  and 
that  was  at  the  time  of  the  session  of  the  legislature ;  and  my 
congregation  was  composed  principally  of  the  members  of  that 
body. 

After  remaining  in  Detroit  a  few  days,  we  proceeded  to  Ann 
Arbor,  our  former  place  of  residence  while  in  that  State.  We 
were  warmly  received  by  our  friends,  and  felt  almost  as  though 
we  had  once  more  arrived  at  home.  Ann  Arbor  had  improved 
very  considerably  in  every  respect,  during  the  period  of  our 
absence.  Many  splendid  buildings  had  been  erected,  exten- 
sive additions  made,  especially  in  what  was  called  the  Upper 
Town  ;  churches,  that  were  then  in  progress,  completed,  and 
others  built;  a  number  of  new  stores  added,  as  well  as  me- 
chanic's shops ;  and,  finally,  the  village  exhibited  tokens  of 
prosperity. 

When  I  entered  the  little  church,  on  the  first  Sabbath  after 
my  arrival,  where  I  had  labored  constantly  for  nearly  five 
years,  and  where  I  had  enjoyed  some  of  the  happiest  seasons 
of  my  life,  although  a  very  respectable  congregation  were  in 
waiting,  my  nerves  underwent  a  more  sensible  tremor,  and 
my  feelings  were  excited  to  a  much  higher  tone,  than  when 
the  alarm  was  given  on  the  steam-boat.  I  could  indeed  see 
many  familiar  faces — many  with  whom  I  had  intimately  asso- 
ciated— who  had  been  my  constant  hearers  and  liberal  sup- 
porters, who  had  borne  with  me  "  the  burden  and  heat  of  the 
day,"  who  had  stood  by  the  cause  and  defended  it  with  their 


452  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

arguments  and  their  influence,  in  despite  of  the  scoffs  of  the 
proud  and  the  malignity  of  bigots,  and  denied  not  their  Savior 
before  men  ;  but  in  vain  did  I  look  for  others  whose  seats 
were  never  vacant  when  I  entered  that  house  before.  Where 
was  Deacon  Williams  ?  Where  was  Colonel  Thayer  ?  Where 
was  rJr.  Durren?  Where  were  many  others  that  my  eyes 
wandered  after  ?  Alas  !  the  shafts  of  death  had  reached  them 
— their  spirits  had  flown  to  a  more  exalted  temple,  and  earth 
had  received  its  own  !  That  gave  a  melancholy  reflection 
for  the  moment,  but  my  regret  was  soothed  into  reconciliation 
by  the  faith,  that  our  loss  was  their  gain.  While  we  were  left 
here  to  battle  with  the  world  for  a  season  longer,  and  meet 
with  the  bufTetings  of  these  disturbed  elements,  they  had  en- 
tered upon  the  fruition  of  anticipated  joys. 

I  found  the  society  in  Ann  Arbor  not  in  as  prosperous  a 
condition  as  I  fondly  anticipated,  when  I  left  them,  they  would 
be  at  that  time.  When  I  had  once  got  Dr.  Adam  settled 
there,  I  indulged  a  very  strong  hope  in  the  permanent  growth 
and  prospeiity  of  the  cause  in  that  important  station  ;  but  al- 
though the  cause  had  by  no  means  retrograded,  yet  the  society 
did  not  exhibit  that  life  and  spirit — that  zeal  and  faithfulness 
which  I  so  ardently  desired  to  see.  After  Dr.  Adam's  year 
had  expired,  and  he  had  left  them,  as  I  have  had  occasion  to 
remark,  they  engaged  the  labors  of  Dr.  Sraead  for  a  season ; 
but  the  hand  of  death  removed  him.  Since  then,  they  had 
enjoyed  the  occasional  preaching  of  some  others,  and  at  the 
time  of  our  visit,  Mr.  S.  Miles  was  laboring  with  them;  but 
he  was  drawing  toward  the  close  of  the  second  year,  and,  from 
what  I  could  learn,  I  obtained  the  impression  that  he  would 
conclude  his  labors  with  them  at  the  expiration  of  his  engage- 
ment; which  was  actually  the  case. 

In  the  State,  we  found  the  cause  in  as  prosperous  a  condi- 
tion as  we  could  reasonably  expect,  although  it  fell  short  of 
fully  gratifying  all  our  impatient  desires.  A  very  consider- 
able number  of  preachers  had  been  added  to  their  ranks,  a 
second  Association  had  been  organized,  a  State  Convention 
had  been  established,  and  a  periodical,  the  "  Primitive  Ex- 
pounder," had  been  started  by  Mr.  Billings,  which  then  had 
a  good  circulation,  increasing  in  patronage  and  influence,  un- 
der the  able,  judicious,  and  faithful  editorial  management  of 
Mr.  R.  Thornton.  The  appearance  of  our  cause,  therefore, 
when  we  could  coolly  and  rationally  look  at  it,  was  truly  en- 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL   STACY.  45  3 

couraging.  During  our  continuance  in  the  State,  I  made  vis- 
its, as  extensively  as  I  well  could,  among  our  acquaintances 
and  societies.  In  Lenawee  county  I  had  relatives  residing, 
the  widow  and  surviving  children  of  Dr.  C.  H.  Stacy — my 
eldest  brother's  son  ;  there,  of  course,  we  made  something  of 
a  visit.  We  also  visited  Jackson  and  Livingston  counties, 
besides  Wayne  and  Washtenaw,  already  mentioned  ;  and  be- 
sides preaching  three  Sabbaths  in  Ann  Arbor,  and  two  in  De- 
troit, I  held  meetings  in  the  villages  of  Clinton,  Manchester, 
and  Jackson,  and  in  the  town  of  Marion,  Livingston  county. 
We  also  visited  Dr.  T.  C.  Adam  and  his  family,  whom  we 
found  residing  on  his  old  place,  four  miles  west  of  the  village 
of  Clinton  ;  and  we  were  very  happy  to  find  them  in  comfort- 
able health,  except  the  Doctor,  who  was  in  a  condition  barely 
enabling  him  to  perform  a  limited  ride  in  his  medical  profes- 
sion. His  faith,  however,  was  strong ;  his  soul  was  ardently 
engaged  for  the  prosperity  of  Zion,  and  he  suffered  depression 
of  mind  from  his  physical  inability  to  engage  in  his  divine 
Master's  employ.  But,  alas !  1  feared  he  would  never  be  able 
to  enter  the  field  again ;  or,  if  he  were,  that  he  would  never 
be  able  to  pursue  the  work  to  the  full  gratification  of  his  ar- 
dent and  capacious  soul. 

The  State  penitentiary  of  Michigan  is  located  in  the  village 
of  Jackson.  On  my  visit  to  that  place  I  found  Paul  B.  Ring, 
Esq.,  an  overseer  of  one  of  the  departments,  and  exercising 
an  immense  influence.  Mr.  Ring  was  a  devoted  and  zealous 
Universalist ;  and  the  superintendent  and  several  of  the  other 
overseers  were  also  men  of  liberal  sentiments.  They  had 
just  elected  Rev.  J.  Billings,  a  Universalist  preacher,  chaplain 
for  the  prison,  and  Mr.  Billings  had  entered  upon  the  duties 
of  his  office  a  week  or  two  before  my  visit.  Therefore,  I  had 
the  privilege  of  visiting  the  State  prison,  and  attending  divine 
service  with  Mr.  Billings  in  the  morning  of  the  Sunday  I  spent 
in  Jackson ;  and  I  was  gratified  beyond  measure,  in  witness- 
ing the  devout  attention  given  by  the  convicts  to  the  discourse, 
and  the  manifest  influence  the  law  of  kindness  was  exerting 
upon  their  moral  feelings.  This  doctrine  they  had  not  been 
in  the  habit  of  hearing  ;  for,  strange  as  it  may  appear,  no  Uni- 
versalist has  ever  yet  broken  into  the  State  prison,  though 
some  have  been  let  out  from  it — at  least  from  that  in  Jackson. 
The  rod,  the  prison,  and  the  halter — the  wrath  of  an  angry 
God,  and  the  fire  of  an  endless  hell,  have  been  resorted  to  as 


454  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

the  only  efficient  means  to  prevent  crime,  and  reform  the 
wicked  ;  and  they  have  ever  proved  ineffectual  to  do  either, 
and  always  will,  so  long  as  any  relation  exists  between  cause 
and  effect :  for,  as  philosophically  and  as  religiously  true  as 
it  is,  that  "  love  begettcth  love,"  so  it  is  equally  true,  that  wrath 
worketh  wrath  ;  and  the  greater  the  harshness  and  vindictive- 
ness  exhibited  in  the  administration  of  the  divine  government, 
or  the  execution  of  the  laws  of  the  land,  the  greater  will  be 
the  hardness  and  obduracy  of  the  criminal.  Civilized  society 
is  beginning  to  learn  this  truth,  in  respect  to  civil  government, 
at  least ;  and  to  practice  accordingly.  Corporeal  punishment 
is  being  laid  aside  in  most  instances,  I  believe,  in  our  peni- 
tentiaries ;  and  milder  means,  exhibiting  kindness,  employed 
in  order  to  maintain  a  proper  order  in  our  prisons,  and  effect 
a  reformation  in  the  offenders ;  and  especially  was  this  the 
case  in  the  penitentiary  at  Jackson.  ]\Ir.  Ring  had  carried 
with  him  practically,  in  the  government  of  his  department, 
all  the  benevolence  of  his  Universalist  principles  ;  and  he 
exerted  thereby  a  wide  influence,  not  only  in  his  own  juris- 
diction, but  through  the  whole  prison.  Every  thing  appeared 
in  good  order ;  the  convicts  cheerfully  attended  to  their  du- 
ties, kindness  beamed  on  every  countenance,  and  the  utmost 
confidence  was  manifested  between  overseers  and  laborers. 
Several  important  reformations  had  then  taken  place.  I  was 
introduced  to  a  young  man  at  ]\Ir.  Ring's,  who  had  been  par- 
doned only  a  few  days  before.  He  was  a  young  man  of  pre- 
possessing appearance — appeared  truly  humble  and  penitent, 
and  imputed  the  whole  of  his  reformation  to  the  influence  of 
Mr.  Ring  and  his  doctrine  ;  and  appeai'ed  to  manifest  as  strong 
fdial  attachment  to  Mr.  Ring,  as  the  most  affectionate  child 
could  do  toward  a  parent.  He  was  educated  a  Partialist — 
never  heard  of  a  God  of  infinite  goodness  and  universal  benev- 
olence, until  he  learned  it  from  the  lips  of  Mr.  Ring ;  and  he 
saw,  in  his  conduct  toward  the  erring  inmates  of  the  peniten- 
tiary, a  practical  illustration  of  the  influence  of  the  doctrine  ; 
and  so  powerful  was  the  effect  upon  him,  that  it  regenerated 
him,  and  made  him  a  new  man.  He  had  come  out  of  prison 
strong  in  the  faith,  and  bade  exceedingly  fair  to  be  a  blessing 
to  society.  Nor  is  that  a  solitary  case.  Mr.  Ring  had  others 
under  his  tuition, in  whom,  aided  by  the  daily  and  weekly  labors 
of  Mr.  Billings,  I  had  a  strong  hope  that  a  successful  illus- 
tration of  the  superior  influence  of  the  doctrine  of  God's  uni- 


LIFE    OF    REV.    NATHANIEL    STAGY.  455 

versal  grace — of  the  law  of  heavenly  kindness  toward  the 
erring  and  the  guilty,  would  be  given  to  the  world. 

We  enjoyed  an  exceedingly  pleasant  visit  with  our  numer- 
ous friends  in  Michigan,  and  received  from  them  many  tokens 
of  friendship  which  will  not  be  forgotten.  Bat  the  most  plea- 
sant seasons  we  are  permitted  to  enjoy  on  mortal  shores  must 
be  at  a  close.  The  time  came  for  our  separation.  Was  it  a 
final  separation  ?  Were  we  never  again  to  meet  in  the  flesh  ? 
It  was  painful  indeed  to  think  so,  although  we  felt  a  divine 
influence,  and  at  the  time  of  our  separation  seriously  realized 
the  truth,  that  we  shall  all  m.eet  in  a  happier  clime  ere  long  ; 
but  to  make  the  separation  as  little  unpleasant  as  possible,  we 
promised,  if  Heaven  sees  good  to  grant  us  the  opportunity,  to 
visit  them  agaiji ;  nor  was  that  promise  insincerely  made  to 
them. 

After  spending  between  six  and  seven  weeks  in  the  State, 
among  numerous  friends  and  several  societies,  and  "  hearing 
and  telling,"  not  exactly  like  the  Athenians,  "  some  new 
thing,"  but  "things  new  and  old,"  drawn  from  the  inexhaust- 
ible store-house  of  the  blessed  Gospel,  we  took  the  hands  of 
our  beloved  friends  with  sorrowing  though  grateful  hearts, 
and  turned  our  faces  toward  home.  We  had  been  absent 
about  two  months  ;  and  on  our  return  we  found  all  things  to 
our  satisftxction,  under  the  guardian  care  of  Him  who  "  doeth 
all  things  well." 

Since  our  return  from  Michigan,  I  have  remained  pretty 
quietly  at  home,  laboring  in  the  little  field  of  my  allotment, 
according  to  the  strength  given  me.  But  I  feel  tliat  my  days 
are  waning,  that  I  can  no  longer  encounter  all  kinds  of  wea- 
ther and  traveling,  nor  perform  the  amount  of  exercise  that 
I  once  could  endure.  And  in  order  to  retain  my  strength, 
and  enable  me  to  perform  my  duty  as  long  as  I  can  in  any 
manner  be  useful,  I  have,  for  a  season  past,  confined  my  la- 
bors in  most  cases  to  one  discourse  in  a  day.  I  still  continue 
to  travel  to  the  amount  of  about  eighty  miles  a  month  to  attend 
my  regular  appointments. 

I  have  now,  kind  reader,  given  you  a  few  of  the  many  in- 
cidents of  my  life  ;  and  with  a  few  words  will  take  my  leave. 
A  little  more  than  forty-six  years  have  passed  since  I  lifted 
up  my  feeble  voice  in  proclamation  of  the  Great  Salvation, 
which  was  then  a  new  and  strange  doctrine  to  the  world.  I 
need  not  inform  the  reader,  if  he  has  had  the  patience  to  read 


456  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

the  preceding  pages,  that  my  life  has  been  a  laborious  one, 
and  attended  with  many  severe  trials  and  temporal  privations  : 
but  I  may  conscientiously  say,  that  it  has  been  a  happy  one, 
notwithstanding.  I  have  never  been  ambitious  for  worldly 
wealth  or  grandeur.  I  have  never  envied  any  man  his  gold, 
his  silver,  his  splendid  equipments,  or  his  renown.  If  I  have 
ever  for  a  moment  felt  a  passion  bordering  on  envy,  it  has  been 
toward  those  who  could  preach  so  much  better  than  myself, 
and  consequently  be  so  much  more  influential  in  advancing 
the  cause  of  the  Redeemer ;  I  have  wanted  their  talents — I 
have  wanted  their  eloquence  and  power.  But  these  feelings 
were  silenced  in  a  moment,  on  reflecting  that  it  required  a 
variety  of  members  to  make  up  the  great  body.  And  the 
smallest  member  was  equally  as  necessary  as  the  greatest, 
and  equally  honorable,  if  it  kept  within  its  own  proper  sphere, 
and  did  not  try  to  perform  a  part  that  belonged  not  to  it,  so 
that  "  The  eye  can  not  say  to  the  hand,  I  have  no  need  of  thee  ; 
nor  the  head  to  the  feet,  I  have  no  need  of  you." 

With  profound  gratitude  to  Almighty  God,  I  realize — very 
sensibly  realize — that  I  have  experienced  vastly  more  health 
than  sickness,  more  joy  than  sorrow,  more  happiness  than 
misery,  more  hope  than  despondency ;  but  with  this  acknow- 
lodgement  I  aver,  that  my  religious  faith  and  hope  have  been 
at  the  foundation  of  all  I  have  enjoyed.  It  is  to  these,  and  to 
these  alone,  I  am  indebted  for  all  my  cheerfulness — all  my 
happiness  ;  deprive  me  of  this  faith  and  hope,  and  life  would 
not  be  worth  having — I  could  not  be  grateful  for  it.  But  with 
this  faith  and  hope — this  religion — amid  the  greatest  labors  I 
have  been  called  to  endure,  I  have  found  strength.  This  gave 
me  light  amid  darkness,  and  saved  me  from  despondency. 
This  cheered  me  under  the  greatest  conflict  with  an  opposing 
world,  under  the  still  more  severe  conflict  with  my  own  pas- 
sions, and  assured  me  of  victory.  This,  in  the  bitterest  hour 
of  affliction,  under  the  most  severe  bereavements,  afforded 
permanent  consolation,  and  reconciled  me  to  the  government 
of  God.  And,  if  I  have  been  restrained  from  the  commission 
of  crime,  it  is  this  faith  in  the  paternity  of  the  divine  charac- 
ter, this  hope  in  the  triumphs  of  infinite  mercy  toward  all, 
even  the  greatest  sinner  in  the  universe  of  God,  and  the  ulti- 
mate purity  and  immortal  blessedness  of  all  intelligent  beings, 
that  has  exercised  that  restraining  power.  Oh,  may  God  grant, 
that  this  faith  and  hope  may  universally  prevail.     This  alone 


LIFE    OF    REV.   NATHANIEL    STACY.  457 

can  reform  the  world.  This  will  annihilate  crime,  and  de- 
molish  the  gallows,  prisons,  and  penitentiaries.  This,  and 
this  alone,  will  abolish  slavery,  bring  war  to  an  end,  and  in- 
troduce the  reign  of  universal  peace.  And  all  our  ingenious 
contrivances,  and  wise-laid  schemes,  without  a  living,  activ^ 
faith  in  the  Gospel  of  the  blessed  God,  will  for  ever  prove  ab- 
ortive.    This  is  a  true  prophecy. 

Should  the  curiosity  of  the  reader  excite  him  to  inquire  in 
regard  to  the  extent  and  amount  of  my  labors  in  the  ministry, 
I  will  here  inform  him — not  by  boasting,  for  hundreds  have 
done  more — that  I  have  preached  more  or  less  in  ten  States  of 
the  Union;  have  delfVered,  up  to  the  present  time,  December, 
31,  1848,  four  thousand  seven  hundred  and  forty-nine  dis- 
courses, which  I  have  minutes  of,  and  many  of  which  I  have 
kept  no  minutes ;  have  officiated  at  three  hundred  and  sixty- 
eight  funerals,  and  solemnized  two  hundred  and  twenty  eight 
marriages.  And  here  I  take  leave  of  my  readers,  in  respect 
to  the  events  and  incidents  of  my  life.  What  there  is  yet  be- 
fore me  to  perform,  to  enjoy,  or  to  endure  in  mortality,  I  know 
not — God  only  knoweth.  But  my  desire  is,  to  stand  in  my 
lot — to  be  found  ready  to  discharge  every  duty  which  may 
devolve  upon  me,  according  to  the  best  of  my  ability ;  and 
with  patience  and  resignation  to  the  divine  will,  "  Wait  all  the 
day  of  my  appointed  time,  until  my  change  come." 


APPENDIX. 

y:^x% 

M  ttx)0  |3art0. 

~^sc> 

i 


PAET  I. 


EXHIBITING  THE  AUTHOE'S  PECULIAR  DOC 
TRINAL  VIEWS. 


CONTENTS. 

Impossibility  of  perfect  unity  of  opinion — Fonner  opinions — Calvinism  ex- 
tended— Inconsistencies  and  absurdities — Universalism  defined — Different 
opinions  create  no  schisms — Present  views  stated  under  five  propositions. 

PROPOSITION  I.— OF  MAN. 
Man  is  the  moral  offspring  of  God — He  possesses  freedom  of  moral  action 
within  his  sphere — is  not  bound  in  a  state  of  passivity  by  the  fatality  of  di- 
vine decrees— Has  actions  vphich  are  properly  called  liis  own,  and  for  which 
he  is  accountable,  rewardable,  or  punishable. 

PROPOSITION  IL— OF  SALVATION. 

jsalvation  is  not  a  deliverance  from  deserved  punishment,  nor  a  mere  transi- 
tion from  one  mode  of  existence  to  another — ^nor  does  it  exclusively  con- 
sist in  a  deliverance  from  sin — but  it  does  consist  in  purity  of  soul  produced 
by  that  knowledge  of  thedivine  character,  and  the  moral  government  of 
God,  which  inspires  confidence  in  the  divine  wisdom,  reconciliation  to  the 
divine  will,  supreme  love  to  all  the  divine  attributes  ;  and  assimilates  the 
whole  moral  man  to  the  divine  character. 

PROPOSITION  III— OF  CHRIST,  AND  THE  MEDIATORIAL 
KINGDOM. 

Christ  is  the  Son  of  God  in  a  more  exalted  sense  than  Adam,  or  his  posterity 
— He  had  an  individual  existence  previous  to  the  works  of  creation — was 
the  agent  of  the  Father  in  the  creation  of  the  visible  universe — The  media- 
torial kingdom  of  Christ,  called  in  the  Evangelists  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
and  the  kingdom  of  God,  is  not  the  Idngdom  of  immortal  blessedness,  but 
preparatoiy— This  kingdom  is  not  confined  to  any  mode  of  existence,  but 
includes  the  future  as  well  as  the  present— This  kingdom  is  not  a  state  of 
probation,  but  of  disciphne  and  instruction. 

PROPOSITION  IV.— OF  PUNISHMENT. 
Punishment,  under  the  government  of  Christ,  is  not  vindictive,  nor  retaliatory 
— But  is  disciplinary  and  emendatory. 

PROPOSITION  v.— OF  THE  RESURRECTION. 
The  resurrection  olthe  dead,  as  argued  by  the  apostle,  in  the  15th  chap.  1  Cor., 
is  not  a  resuscitation  of  these  material  bodies,  the  bodies  which  die  ;  but  a 
rising,  or  resurrection,  of  the  whole  body  of  the  church  from  the  interme- 
diate state,  or  trom  the  preparatory  kingdom  to  the  immortal  kingdom. 


INTRODUCTION. 


Having  given  the  reader  the  memoirs  of  my  life,  with  a 
history  of  my  ministerial  labors,  he,  perhaps  may  be  curious 
to  learn  something  of  my  peculiar  opinions.  And  as  every 
man  who  has  the  moral  courage  to  think  for  himself  on  the 
:mportant  subject  of  religion,  and  believes  his  own  opinions 
.0  be  the  most  consistent  with  Scripture,  reason,  and  the  na- 
ture and  fitness  of  things,  and  the  best  and  safest  for  the  world 
to  believe  ;  it  will  not  be  deemed  strange  that  I,  also,  should 
be  desirous  of  placing  my  peculiar  views  before  the  world. 

In  this  imperfect  state  it  is  not  to  be  expected,  nor  is  it  mor- 
ally possible,  that  *here  should  be  a  perfect  unity  of  opinion 
among  those  who  investigate  the  subject  for  themselves. 
Where  the  church  assumes  infallibility,  and  dictates  by 
sovereign  authority,  in  written  creeds,  exactly  what  doctrines 
its  members  must  embrace,  what  opinions  they  must  main- 
tain, there  may  be  unity  of  opinion  ;  or  rather  there  is  710 
individual  opinion  at  all — nothing  can  be  properly  considered- 
as  personal  faith.  But  when  once  a  people  have  extricated 
themselves  from  ecclesiastical  tyranny,  and  denied  the 
right  of  the  church,  or  any  man  or  body  of  men,  to  dictate  to 
them  their  personal  faith,  and  abjured  all  written  creeds  and 
confessions  of  faith,  and  learned  their  own  moral  strength 
and  their  own  personal  responsibility,  and  resolved  to  believe 
for  themselves,  making  the  Scriptures  alone  the  standard  of 
their  faith,  without  a  human  creed  to  measure  it  by — they  will 
most  assuredly  arrive  at  different  conclusions  on  many  points, 


4G4  DOCTRINAL    VIEWS. 

and  especially  so,  under  the  influence  of  an  early  religious 
education.  Such  was  the  case  of  those  who  embraced  the 
doctrine  of  Universalism,  at  least  in  the  days  of  its  infancy. 
They  seceded  from  all  denominations ;  and  although  they 
arrived  at  one  point  in  regard  to  the  great  and  glorious  doc- 
trine of  the  Final  Restitution,  they  brought  with  them  their 
peculiar  prejudices  in  regard  to  points  of  minor  doctrinal  con- 
sideration, as  well  as  to  external  ordinances.  And  while 
those  who  make  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New  Testa, 
ments  exclusively  their  guide  are,  unquestionably,  coming 
nearS'  into  proximity  with  each  other's  sentiments,  there  will 
be  a  diversity  of  opinion  maintained  among  them  "  while  the 
world  stand eth  ;"  nor  is  it  desirable  that  it  should  be  other- 
wise.  Diversity  of  opinion  excites  investigation,  and  inves- 
tigation elicits  truth  ;  and  while  those  opinions  are  main- 
tained under  the  influence  of  that  charity  which  the  great 
doctrine  of  the  paternity  of  God  and  the  universal  brother- 
hood of  man  inculcates,  they  can  never  be  an  injury,  but 
rather  a  blessmgto  the  church. 

Universalism,  as  it  is  now  well  defined  ^nd  understood,  at 
least  by  its  votaries,  embraces  a  faith  in  one  God,  who  has 
made  a  special  revelation  of  his  nature,  character,  and  pur- 
poses, in  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  ; 
which  revelation  he  has  established  and  confirmed  by  mirac 
ulous  displays  of  his  divine  power,  and,  consequently,  an  un- 
equivocal faith  in  the  divine  authenticity  and  authority  of 
those  Scriptures,  in  all  matters  of  faith  and  practice  ;  and  in 
Jesus  Christ,  as  the  only  personal  Mediator  between  God  and 
man,  being  the  true  and  perfect  moral  image  of  the  Father, 
possessing  "  All  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  bodily" — an  em- 
bodiment and  complete  exhibition  of  all  the  divine  perfections, 
so  that  "  He  that  seeth  the  Son  seeth  the  Father" — that  the 
Fatlier  has  made  him  the  mediate  administrator  of  the  divine 
government,  having  "Put  all  things  under  his  feet,"  and 
"  given  him  all  power  in  heaven  and  in  earth,"  for  the  ex- 


DOCTRINAL   \riEWS.  465"- 

press  purpose,  that  he  should  "  R,econcile  all  things  to  God," 
and  save  the  world.  Thus  far  Universalists  perfectly  agree  ; 
but  there  is  a  diversity  of  opinion  in  regard  to  the  time  of  the 
accomplishment  of  this  great,  this  glorious,  and  unchange- 
able purpose  of  our  God,  and  ^lso,,in  some  measure,  in  regard 
to  the  diversified  means  which  infinite  wisdom  employs  to 
consummate  and  perfect  it.  Nevertheless,  this  diversity  of 
opinion,  of  itself,  has  hitherto  created  no  schism  in  their 
ranks.  They  have  considered  the  great  doctrine  of  the  Final 
Restitution  as  paramount  to  all  others,  and  as  the  grand  fun- 
damental theme  of  pulpit  labors;  and  they  could  thereon 
meet,  heart,  hand,  and  soul,  and,  with  all  the  feelings  of  Chris- 
tian love,  bid  each  other  "  God  speed."  But  should  any,  in 
their  investigations  and  researches,  find  other  revelations 
which  they  believe  more  consistent  and  authentic  than  what 
we  call  the  icord  of  God  ;  and  in  consequence  become  scepti- 
cal in  regard  to  the  'authenticity  and  authority  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, whatever  views  they  may  entertam  on  the  subject  of 
the  final  destiny  of  the  human  race — while  we  cheerfully 
accord  to  them  the  perfect  right  of  investigation,  and  the 
adoption  and  promulgation  of  their  own  free  and  uncontrolled 
opinions,  we  do  say,  that  it  is  but  reasonable  and  proper  that 
they  should  withdraw  from  the  ranks  of  Universalists,  and 
assume  a  name  significant  of  the  opinions  they  adopt,  and  not 
impose  upon  the  world  by  appearing  under  the  name  which, 
in  the  present  age,,  unerringly  defines  a,  sect  with  whom  they 
have  little  or  uo  sympathy. 

Among  other  thinkers,  I  too  have  thought,  and  my  object 
BOW  is  to  give  the  reader,  briefly,  as  clear  a  view  of  the  re- 
sults at  which  I  have  arrived  as  my  language  will  enable 
me.  I  am  not  about  to  argumentatively  defend  the  positions  I' 
take,  but  merely  to  state  my  opinions,  give  some  of  the  rea- 
sons why  I  entertain  them,  and  a  few  passages  of  Scripture 
which  I  believe  sustain  them. 

When  light  first  broke  upon  my  mind,   amidst  the  imper^ 
D — D 


466  DOCTRINAL    VIEWS. 

vious  darkness  which  had  so  long  enveloped  it,  I  saw^  as  it 
were,  the  grand  system  of  divine  grace,  summarily.  Calvin- 
ism taught  me,  that  "  The  decrees  of  God  are  his  eternal  pur- 
pose, according  to  the  counsel  of  his  own  will,  whereby,  for 
his  own  glory,  he  hath  fore-ordained  whatsoever  comes  to 
pass;"  and  I  discovered  that  the  most  prominent  decree  of 
God,  according  to  the  Bible,  was  the  eternal  salvation  of  our 
whole  race,  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord  !  This  was 
enough,  for  it  satisfied  my  soul ;  for  I  well  knew,  as  surely 
as  there  was  a  God,  that  what  God  had  purposed  and  decreed, 
was  as  unalterable  as  his  own  nature,  and  that  "  His  pur- 
poses should  stand,  and  he  would  do  all  his  pleasure."  I 
stopped  not  to  inquire  how  or  when  this  purpose  of  God  was 
to  be  perfected ;  it  was  enough  for  me  to  know  that  it  was 
His  purpose^  and  that  it  could  not  fail.  God  had  said,  1  "  wz7/ 
have  all  men  to  he  saved,  and  come  unto  the  knowledge  of  the 
truth  ;"  and  I  said  in  the  language  of  th'e  poet : 

^'  Here  stop,  my  soul,  no  farther  seek  to  go  ; 
What  God's  reveal'd  is  quite  enough  to  know." 

The  belief  of  this,  reconciled  me  to  all  the  dealings  of  the 
Divine  hand — removed  all  slavish  fear,  and  filled  my  soul  with 
"joy  unspeakable." 

All  the  theory  I  had  was  "  Calvinism  improved,"  or  rather 
extended.  I  had  received  my  early  education  among  Cal- 
vinists,  and  all  my  first  religious  impressions  were  purely 
Calvinistic.  Calvinism  taught  that  God  had  unalterably  de- 
creed the  salvation  of  the  elect  without  any  foresight  of  faith 
or  good  works  ;  and  the  very  first  lesson  that  I  learned  in  this 
new  school,  was,  that  his  decree  of  salvation  embraced  all 
mankind,  and  that  the  salvation  of  all  was  just  as  secure  as 
the  salvation  of  the  Calvinistic  elect,  and  that  it  would  be  ef- 
fected by  the  same  instrumentality,  and  in  the  same  manner 
— that  Christ  had  taken  upon  himself  our  sinful  nature  ;  had 
suffered,  in  our  stead,  the  penalty  of  the  divine  law  ;  satisfied, 
fully  satisfied,  divine  justice,  appeased  the  wrath  of  God,  by 


DOCTRINAL   VIEWS.  467 

the  shedding  of  his  own  blood,  upon  the  cross  ;  purchased  the 
love  of  God  for  the  sinner,  and  reconciled  Him  to  man. 
This  atonement  was  complete,  and  was  universal,  inasmuch 
as  Christ  had  "tasted  death  for  every  man,"  and  became  a 
"propitiation  for  the  sins  of  the  whole  world." 

But  when  I  gained  time  and  inclination  to  review  my  theo- 
ry, to  examine  its  various  ramifications,  I  discovered,  or 
thought  1  discovered,  irreconcilable  discrepancies,  and  blas- 
phemous imputations  to  the  divine  character.  While  we 
maintained  that  God  was  unchangeable,  we  ascribed  to  him 
the  most  puerile  mutations.  God  was  pleased,  in  the  first 
place,  with  ali  his  works  and  pronounced  them  "  very  good ;" 
but  under  the  influence  of  his  own  decrees,  which  embraced 
every  thought,  word,  and  action  of  all  his  creatures,  they 
had,  by  their  transgressions,  so  changed  his  feelings,  that  He 
became  infinitely  angry  with  them — hated  them  with  perfect 
hatred,  and  raised  his  almighty  arm  to  send  them  all  to  an 
endless  hell ! — but  paused  a  moment,  in  the  midst  of  his  aw- 
ful wrath,  and  concluded  to  take  flesh  and  blood  himself,  (for 
Calvinism  teaches,  that  although  there  are  three  persons  in 
the  God-head,  there  is  but  one  God,  and  that  Jesus  Christ  is 
'^  very  Godf'^)io  assume  our  sinful  natures,  suffer,  and  die 
on  the  cross  to  satisfy  the  demands  of  his  violated  law,  and 
purchase  his  own  mercy  for  our  fallen  race ! — that  by  so  do- 
ing he  changes  his  feelings  a  second  time  ;  and  from  a  wrath- 
ful, vindictive  enemy,  he  becomes  a  God  of  boundless  com- 
passion, of  mercy,  and  love  !  All  moral  agency,  too,  by  this 
theory,  is  denied  to  moral  beings.  They  became  infinitely 
sinful,  in  a  state  of  passivity,  without  any  possible  will  or  ac- 
tion of  their  own — (for,  saith  the  Catechism,  "All  mankind 
sinned  in,  and  fell  with,  Adam  in  his  first  transgression,  and 
were  so  made  liable  to  all  the  miseries  of  this  life,  to  death  it- 
self, and  the  pains  of  hell  for  ever") — and  are  also  saved  in 
a  state  of  equal  passivity  ;  for  being  totally  morally  depraved, 
they  can  neither  think  a  good  thought,  nor  do  a  good  work. 


468  DOCTRINAL   VIEWS. 

until  the  irresistible  power  of  the  spirit  of  God  does  it  in 
them,  and  for  them. 

When  I  discovered  these  glaring  absurdities,  I  was  led  to 
doubt  the  truth  of  Calvinism,  not  only  in  its  decree  of  repro- 
bation, but  in  all  its  ramifications  ;  and  turned  with  renewed 
engagedness  to  the  Bible,  by  the  careful  examination  of 
which  I  was  compelled  to  reject,  in  toto,  all  the- appendages 
and  dogmas  that  belonged  to  that  mother  of  scepticism  ;  for  if 
it  contained  any  truth,  it  was  so  interlarded  with  falsehood, 
that  it  "  changed  the  truth  of  God  into  a  lie  !" 

In  the  word  of  divine  inspiration  I  could  find  nothing 
about  a  "  trinity  of  persons  in  the  God-head,"  nor  "  triune 
God  ;"  but  I  learned  that  there  is  "  but  one  God,  the  Father, 
of  whom  are  all  things,  and  we  in  him  ;  and  one  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  by  whom  are  all  things,  and  we  by  him  ;"  that  there 
is  "  one  God,  and  one  Mediator  between  God  and  men,  the 
wm?i"  (not  God)  "Christ  Jesus" — that  a  "Mediator  is  not  a 
mediator  of  one,  but  God  is  one" — that  to  ascribe  origi- 
nal deityship  to  Christ  was  to  deny  the  existence  of  a  Media- 
tor. I  learned,  therefore,  that  Christ  was  not  God,  in  the 
highest  and  purest  sense  of  the  term,  but  the  Son  of  God — 
"  The  only  begotten  son  of  the  Father."  I  also  learned  that 
God  was  infinitely  invniitahle,  was  "of  one  mind,^^  and  none 
could  turn  him — "  without  variableness,  or  shadow  of  turning'' 
— that  His  nature  was  uncreated,  underived,  and  therefore 
infinitely  alove  all  possible  extraneous  influences,  or  the  pos- 
sibility of  the  slightest  semblance  of  a  change  j  and, that  that 
nature  was  Love  ! 

I  learned  consequently  that  the  mission  of  Christ  was  not 
to  appease  divine  wrath,  nor  suffer  the  penalty  of  the  divine 
law  as  a  substitute  for  the  sinner ;  nor  to  influence  God  to  love 
mankind,  to  reconcile  God  to  the  world,  or  purchase  salva- 
tion for  our  race  ;  so  far  from  this,  the  uncreated,  unpur- 
chased  love  of  God  was  at  the  bottom  of  the  whole.  The 
plan  of  salvation  originated  in  the  divine  nature ; — "  Herein 


DOCTRINAL   VIEWS.  469 

is  love,  not  that  we  loved  God,  but  that  He  loved  us,  and  sent 
his  Son  to  be  the  propitiation  for  our  sins."  (1  John,  4,  10.) 
"  For  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  He  sent  his  only  begotten 
Son,"  (John  3: 16.)  Hence,  so  far  from  Christ's  "  purchasing 
our  pardon,"  or  salvation,  (as  sung  by  the  Methodists)  he  was 
simply  the  messenger,  the  bearer  of  it ;  He  receives  the  gift 
from  the  hand  of  the  Father,  and  brings  it  down  and  bestows 
it  on  man. 

Here  surely  was  a  great  advance  from  Calvinism,  or,  at 
least,  a  wide  departure  from  its  teachings.  But,  thus  far  I 
believe  our  whole  denomination  in  AmfMca  have  gone. 
There  are  few,  or  none,  who  have  studied  the  Scriptures — and 
this,  thank  God,  is  a  prominent  characteristic  of  Universalists 
— who  will  dissent  from  the  above  position.  But  there  are  other 
points  wherein  there  exists  a  diversity  of  opinion  ;  and 
some  of  these  points,  most  important  in  my  estimation,  I  am 
now  about  to  contend  with.  I  am  not,  however,  going  to 
combat,  nor  even  attempt  to  state  the  opinions  of  others  ;  but 
merely  to  advance  my  own,  with  some  brief  reasons  for  en- 
tertaining them.  In  doing  this,  I  shall  omit  further  notice  of 
the  position  taken  above  in  respect  to  the  divine  character, 
and  the  ultimate  object  of  the  mission  of  the  divine  Mediator ; 
although  I  may  more'  fully  explain  my  views  of  the  char- 
acter of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  And  I  shall  probably  state 
my  views  explicitly  under  the  five  following  propositions. 


PROPOSITIOiN  I.-OF  MAN. 


Man  is  the  moral  offspring  of  God  ;  he  possesses  freedom  of  | 

?noral  action  wiQ^n  his  sphere  ;  is  not  bound  by  the  fatality  ^ 

of  divine  decrees,  but  has  loorks  which  are  properly  called 
his  own,  and  for  which  he  is  rewardable  or  punishable. 

That  man  is  the  offspring  of  God,  I  learn  explicitly  from 
the  revelation  God  has  made  to  the  world,  wherein  He  is  i 

called,  ''  The  Father  of  Spirits"— (Heb.  12 :  9  ;>  and  "  The  j 

God  of  the  spirits  of  all  flesh"— (Num.  27  :  16  ;)  and  by  the  | 

teachings  of  Christ,  wherein  he  instructs  us-  so  to  denominate  j 

Him  in  our  supplications  ;  as  well  as  by  the  inspired  apostle,  i 

who  declares  that  "  God  hath  made  of  one  blood" — (i.  e.  one  ] 

fountain  of  life) — "  all  nations  of  men,  for  to  dwell  on  all  the 
face  of  the  earth  ;"  consequently  "  we  are  also  his  offspring" 
— (Acts  17  :  26,  27,  28  ;)  and  because  the  New  Testament 
writers,  every  where,  make  use  of  the  appellation  of  Father      .    ^ 
to  express  the  relation  which  God  bears  to  man.  j 

As  the  moral  offspring  of  God  created  in  his  likeness,  man 
must  possess  the  image  of  his  moral  attributes  ;  and  one  of 
those  attributes,  or  rather  the  basis  of  all,  must  be  thought, 
and  volition,  which  are  indispensible  properties  of  intellect,  ] 

and  infinite  freedom  of  action — to  determine  and  do  what  he  ' 

pleases.  Man,  therefore,  must  have  freedom  within  his 
sphere,  he  must  be  endowed  with  the  power  of  thought  and 
volition.      God  is  infinite,   man   is   finite.      And  although  ; 

God  enstamped  upon  man  the  image  of  his  own  eternity  of 
duration,  by  the  indissoluble  relation  pf  father  and  child,  he         j 


DOCTRINAL    VIEWS.  471 

left  but  the  impress  of  his  moral  attributes,  limited  and  finite, 
and  therefore  capable  of  endless  improvement.  Man's  ac- 
tions, therefore,  though  free,  are  necessarily  limited,  and  can 
not  involve  infinite  consequences. 

But  I  not  only  infer  man's  moral  freedom  from  the  very  na- 
ture of  his  being  ;  I  also  learn  it  from  the  whole  teachings 
of  divine  revelation. 

The  Scriptures  every  where  speak  of  man  as  a  moral 
agent,  as  a  being  who  enjoys  moral  freedom  of  action,  unre- 
stricted by  irresistible  decrees — who  does  works  properly 
called  his  own,  and  for  which  he  is  re  ward  able  or  punishable. 
I  nee^  not  particularize  ;  take,  for  example,  this  passage 
which  is  perfectly  consonant  to  the  whole  teachings  of  the 
word  of  God :  "  Say  ye  to  the  righteous,  it  shall  be  well  with 
him  ;  for  they  shall  eat  of  the  fruit  of  their  doings  :  Woe  un- 
to the  wicked,  it  shall  be  ill  with  him  ;  for  the  reward  of  his 
hands  shall  be  given  him."  Isa.  (3  :   10,  11.  ) 

Let  it  not  be  said,  that  this  view  of  the  subject  destroys 
the  T^bvereignty  of  God,  nullifies  his  decrees,  and  deprives 
him  of  his  foreknowledge. 

I  dislike  the  term  decrees,  when  applied  to  the  moral  gov- 
ernment of  God  ;  nor  is  it  a  common  term  of  Scripture. 
There  was  formerly  more  said  about  the  decrees  of  God,  in 
the  course  of  one  sermon,  than  can  be  found  about  them  in 
the  whole  Bible.  I  dislike  it  because  it  seems  to  imply  the 
existence  of  a  secret,  irresistible  power,  exerting  itself  over 
every  thought,  word,  and  action,  as  the  weight  of  a  clock,  or 
of  water,  upon  the  wheel  which  propels  the  machinery  at- 
tached to  them ;  and  seems  to  make  man  a  similar  passive 
machJAfi  under  the  irresistible  impulse  of  the  decrees  of  God ; 
and  so  ^alvinists,  times  without  number,  have  defined  it. 
God's  foreknowledge  comprehends  all  events,  not  because  he 
decrees  them,  but  because  "  He  declares  the  end  from  the  be- 
ginnmg,  and  from  ancient  times  the  things  that  (to  us)  are 
iiotyet  done,"  (Isa.  46  :  10  :)  But  they  are,  and  always  were^ 


472  DOCTRINAL    VIEWS. 

and  always  will  he  done,  in  the  view  of  Him,  with  whoni 
there  is  no  succession  of  time — with  whom  there  is  nothing 
old  and  nothing  new  ! 

As  I  have  said,  man  is  limited  in  all  his  powers  ;  he  can 
not  act,  nor  feel,  nor  think  above  his  sphere.  He  can  no  more 
think  infinitely  than  he  can  feel  or  act  infinitely.  We  speak 
of  infinite  extension  and  infinite  duration  ;  but  after  all  we 
have  no  just  conception  of  either  ;  our  thoughts  are  limited, 
we  fix  a  centre  and  boundary  to  infinite  space,  and  an  end  to 
infinite  duration — we  can  not  avoid  it.  When  man  attempts 
to  contemplate  the  subject,  he  becomes  lost  in  the  immensity 
of  thought,  and  at  length  is  compelled  to  • 

'  *  "  Drop  into  himself  and  be  a  fool !" 

How  God  foreknows  all  events,  is  a  question  man,  with  all 
his  ingenuity  and  wisdom,  has  never  been  able  to  solve,  and 
never  will  be  ;  and  it  is  sufficient  for  me  to  believe  that  it  is 
so.  An  infinite  intelligence  must  be  infinite  ;  and  this  is  say- 
ing all,  in  a  few  words,  that  man  should  presume  to  say. 

Moreover,  divine  revelation  informs  us,  that  "HisuTOer- 
standing  is  infinite,"  (Ps.  147  :  5  ;)  but  it  is  the  Westminster 
catechism,  not  the  Bible,  which  says,  "  God  fore-ordained 
whatsoever  comes  to  pass." 

The  sovereignty  of  God  -consists  in  his  ability  to  accom- 
plish his  will,  to  do  his  pleasure  and  perfect  his  purposes  in 
despite  of  all  opposition,  and  in  his  wisdom  to  make  the  free- 
will actions  of  his  creatures  subservient  thereto.  For  an 
illustration  take  the  case  of  Joseph  and  his  brethren,  re- 
corded  in  Genesis,  chapters  37,  39,  40,  41,  42,  43,  44,  and 
45.  God  had  revealed  to  Joseph  a  certain  purpose,  through 
the  medium  of  a  dream,  which  he  delated  to  his  br^Jp-en  ; 
and  the  brethren  undertook  to  defeat  the  accomplishment  of 
that  purpose.  Never  did  a  set  of  men  act  more  freely  or 
more  wickedly ;  and  never  were  men  more  successful,  in 
their  own  estimation,  in  accomplishing  their  wishes  to  theii* 
full  extent.     They  as  effectually  prevented  his  exaltation,  in 


DOOTRINAL    VIEWS.  473 


their  own  belief,  and  according  to  the  keenest  perception  of 
human  foresight  and  wisdom,  as  though  they  had  actually 
shed  the  blood  which  they  made  their  father  believe  the  wild 
beasts  had  spilt. 

But  although  they  acted  with  perfect  freedom,  without  the 
least  restriction  of  their  liberty,  accomplished  all  they  then 
desired  to  accomplish,  there  was,  nevertheless,  a  power 
above  them  which  took  the  action  out  of  their  hands— when 
they  had  done  all  that  finite  beings  could  do,  and  with  that 
very  action,  by  which  they  designed  to  defeat  his  will,  per- 
fected his  own  divine  plan.  Here,  then,  is  fully  illustrated 
the  sovereighty  of  God  ;  not  in  making  his  creatures  ma- 
chines, nor  slaves,  but  in  making  them  free  agents,  and  su- 
per-abounding  a^d  super-controlling  that  freedom  by  his 
own  power  and  wisdom. 


PROPOSITIOxN  II.-OF  SALVATION, 


hahation  is  not  a  deliverance  fr 0711  deserved  pmiishment,  nor  a 
transition  from  one  mode  of  existence  to  another,  nor  does  it 
exclusively  consist  in  a  deliverance  from  sin  ;  hut  it  does  cow 
sist  in  purity  of  soul  produced  hy  that  knowledge  of  the  di- 
vine nature  and  moral  government  of  God,  lohich  gives  con- 
fidence in  the  divine  will,  supreme  love  to  all  the  divine  attri- 
butes, and  assimilates  the  whole  moral  man  to  the  divine 
character. 

Salvation  can  not  be  a  deliverance  from  deserved  punish- 
meat,  because  deliverance  from  deserved  punishment  would 
rather  have  a  tendency  to  make  men  reckless  of  their  con- 
duct than  to  reform  them  ;  moreover  the  Scriptures  abound 
with  declarations  to  the  contrary  ;  "  God  will  render  to  every 
man  according  to  his  deeds,  and  there  is  no  respect  of  per- 
sons  with  God  ^"  (Rom.  2  :  6,  11,)—"  He  that  doeth  wrong 
shall  receive  for  the  wrong  which  he  hath  done  ;  and  there 
is  no  respect  of  persons  ;"  (Col.  3  :  25)— «  Though  hand  join 
in  hand,  the  v/icked  shall  not  be  unpunished ;"  (Prov.  11 : 
21,) — "The  Lord  God,  merciful  and  gracious,  long  suffer- 
ing, and  abundant  in  goodness  and  truth  ;  keeping  mercy 
for  thousands,  forgiving  iniquity,  transgression,  and  sin  j 
and  that  will  hy  no  means  clear  the  guilty  J  ^  (Ex.  34:  6,  7.) 
Now  the  atonement  of  Christ  is  certainly  a  means  which 
God  makes  use  of  for  the  salvation  of  man.  But  according  to 
the  declarations  of  Almighty  God,  it  will  not  clear  the 
guilty  J    it  will  not  deliver   from   deserved  punishment; 


DOCTRINAL    VIEWS.  475 

therefore,  deliverance  from  deserved  punishment  is  not  sal- 
vation,  nor  a  means  of  salvation. 

Salvation  is  not  a  transition  from  one  mode  of  existence  to 
another,  because  it  consists  in  a  moral  condition.     Therefore, 
an  alteration  of  local  situation,  unless  that  alteration  produ- 
ces a  moral  change,  can  have  no  effect  to  produce  salvation. 
Nor  does  salvation  consist  exclusively  in  a  deliverance  from 
sin,  because  there  may  be  instances  of  perfect  innocency — 
of  sinless  purity,  with  incapacity  to  enjoy  salvation  :  witness 
the  infant  and  the  idiot.  Salvation  is  not  a  negative,  but  a  posi- 
tive state.     But   the  salvation  which  Christ  came  to  effect 
and  administer  is  a  state  of  supreme  felicity,  with  the  soul 
filled  "wit||  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory  ;''' and  this 
can  only  be  effected  by  the  highest  state  of  intellectual  im- 
provement, and  a  perfect  devolopment  of  all  the  moral  pow- 
ers, which  are  emanations  of  the  divine  perfections.     Salva- 
.  tion  is  a  progressive  work,  and  is  effected  only  by  divine 
instruction.     Christ  is   emphatically    called   the  Teacher  ; 
and  this  is  the  most  significant  of  his  character,  as  mediator 
and  Savior,  of  any  appellation  that,  can  be  given  hin^.     He 
expressly  informs  us  that  teaching  the  truth  was  the  great 
work  of  his  mission  ;  "  To  this  end  was  I  born,  and  for 
this  cause  came  I  into  the  world,  that  I  should  bear  witness 
unto  the  truth ;"  (John  18  :  37,) — and  that  truth  concerned 
the  divine  character.     "  The  gift  of  God  is  eternal  life  (eter- 
nal felicity — for  life,    in   the  religious   acceptation   of  the 
term,  is  happiness)  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord."  (Rom. 
6  :  23  ;•)  "  And  this  is  life  eternal,  that  they  might  know 
thee,   the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ  whom  thou  hast 
sent."  (John  17  :  3.)     "  This  gift  Christ  confers  by  revealing 
the  Father,  of  whom  he  is  the  true  moral  image  and  iike-^ 
ness;"  (Heb.  1 :  3,)— "by  doing  his  Father's  vi^ill ;:"  (John 
6  :  38,) — "  by  performing  his  Father's  works  ;"  (John  4  :  34) 
*'  by  publishing  his  Father's  doctrine,  or  purposes  ;"  (John  7 : 
16) — and  in  all  things,  and  in  all  ways,  through  his  whole 


476  DOCTRINAL   VIEWS. 

ministry,  in  teaching  us  of  the  Father.  And  he  is  the  onlij 
medium  through  which  we  can  come  to  the  knowledge  of 
God — "For  there  is  none  other  name  given  under  heaven 
among  men,  whereby  we  must,  (or  can)  be  saved  ;"  (Acts  4  : 
12) — "  No  man  knoweth  the  Father  save  the  Son,  and  he,  to 
wholTisoever  the  Son  will  reveal  him  ;"  (Matt.  11  :  27.)  The 
Bible  was  notgiven,^neilher  did  Christ  come,  to  teach  us  tha^ 
there  loas  a  God.  The  evidences  of  that  truth  were  in- 
scribed, in  bold  relief,  on  the  face  of  the  visible  creation, 
that  "elder  scripture  writ  by  God's  own  hand."  But  the 
Bible  was  given  to  teach  us  something  about  God  ;  and  the 
anointed  came  to  unfold  to  us  all  the  adorable  perfections  of 
the  divine  nature,  and  by  that  means  to  raise  qf ,  step  by 
step,  from  the  labyrinth  of  darkness,  in  which  we  were  in- 
volved, and  from  the  dominion  of  sin,  and  to  excite  in  our 
souls  supreme  love,  reverence,  and  adoration  for  the  divine 
character — to  assimilate  that  character,  and  prepare  us  for 
exalted  beatitude  in  the  resurrection  state. 


PROPOSITION  III.-OF  CHRIST  AND 

THE  MEDIATORIAL  KINGDOM. 


Christ  is  the  So7i  of  God  in  a  more  exalted  sense  than  Adam, 
or  his  posterity.  He  had  an  individual  existence  prior  to  the 
works  of  creation — was  the  agent  of  the  Father  in  the  works 
of  creation.  The  Mediatorial  kingdom  of  Christ,  called  in  • 
the  Evangelists  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and  the  kingdom  of 
God,  is  not  the  kingdom  of  immortal  blessedness,  hut  prepar- 
atory fo  the  immortal  slate.  This  kingdom  is  not  confined  to 
the  present  mode  of  existence,  hut  includes  the  future  asioell 
as  the  present.  This  kingdom  is  ?iot  a  state  of  prohation^ 
hit  of  discipline  and  instruction. 

It  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  attempt  any  further  exposition 
of  my  views  in  respect  to  the  unity  of  God,  or  the  sonship 
and  dependence  of  Christ ;  as  I  have  already  been  sufficient- 
ly explicit  on  that  subject  in  my  former  remarks.  The  ap- 
plication of  the  term,  God,  to  Christ,  is  in  a  subordinate  sense, 
as  it  was  applied  to  Moses  and  to  the  Judges  of  Israel :  so  the 
divine  Redeemer  himself  argued,  in  reply  to  the  accusation 
of  blasphemy  :  "  Is  it  not  written  in  your  law,  I  said,  ye  are 
gods?  If  he  called  them  gods,  unto  whom  the  word  of  God 
came,  and  the  scripture  can  not  be  broken,  say  ye  of  himr 
whom  the  Father  hath  sanctified,  and  sent  into  the  world, 
thou  blasphemest ;  because  I  said,  I  am,  the  Son  of  God  ?"" 
(John  10  :  34,  35,  36.)  But  I  desire  to  make  a  few  further 
remarks  on  the  character  of  Christ,  and  his  pre-existence ; 
because  it  is  a  subject  on  which  there  is  a  variety  of  opinions 
^n  Christendom,  and  even  among  Universalistis. 


478  ,  DOCTRINAL   VIEWS. 

I  learn  the  superior  sonship  of  Christ  from  the  fact,  that  he 
is  called,  "  The  only  begotten  Son  of  the  Father,"  John  1  :  14, 
and  elsewhere.     I  here  leave  out  the  account  of  his  miracu- 
lous conception,  because  it  has  been  rejected  by  many  learned 
and  pious  minds  as  spurious ;  though  I  unhesitatingly  acknow- 
ledge,  that  their  reasons  for  rejecting  the  account  are  by  no 
means  satisfactory  to  me.     I  learn  his  priority  of  existence 
from  the  fact,  that  he  is  called,  "  The  beginning  of  the  crea- 
tion of  God,"  (Rev.  3:  14,)  and  that  he  was  "Before  all 
things."  (Col.  1 :  17.)     I  come,  therefore,.to  the  very  reason- 
able, and  clearly,  as  I  believe  it  will  appear  from  what  follows, 
the  only  Scriptural  conclusion,  that  Christ  was  the  first  produc- 
tion of  the  energies  of  creative  power,  and  the  only  being  that 
the  supreme  God  did  immediately,  (I  mean,  without  a  Media- 
tor— without  an  Agent,)  create.     I  also  learn  the  fact  of  his 
priority  of  existence  from  his  own  divine  teachings.  He  says, 
<'I  came  down  from  heaven."  (John  6 :   38.)      Hence,  he 
surely  existed  in  heaven  before  he  came  on  earth.     Again, 
"Before  Abraham  was,  I  am."  (John  8:    58.)     And  in  his 
prayer,  (John  17  :  5,)  he  says,  "  Father,  glorify  thou  me  with 
thine  own  self,  with  the  glory  which  I  had  with  thee  before 
the  world  was.^'     That  he  was  the  Agent  of  the  Father  in  the 
work  of  creation,  and  consequently  always  stood  as  a  Media- 
tor between  God  and  his  works — as  the  medium  through  whom 
all    communications  were  ever  made   from  the  self-existent 
Father  to  the  intelligent  world,  I  learn  from  the  plain,  unam- 
biguous, and  unequivocal  language  of  inspiration :  "  All  things 
were  made  by  him  ;  and  without  him  was  not  any  thing  made 
that  was  made."  (John    1:  3.)     Again,  "God   created  all 
things  by  Jesus  Christ."  (Eph.  3:  9.)     Once   more;  "For 
by  him  were  all  things  created  that  are  in  heaven,  and  that 
are  in  earth,  visible  and  invisible ;  whether  they  be  thrones, 
or  dominions,  or  principalities,  or   powers  ;  all  things  were 
created  by  him,  and  for  him  ;  and  he  is  before  all  things,  and 
by  him  all  things  consist."  (Col.  1  :  16,  17.)     It   appears  to 


DOCTRINAL    VIEWS.  479 

me  utterly  impossible  for  any  person  to  frame  language,  that 
will  more  clearly  express  the  position  I  have  taken,  than  the 
foregoing  passages  of  Scripture  ;  nor  can  I  see  the  possibility 
of  avoiding  the  conclusion  to  which  I  have  arrived,  without 
the  most  perverse  departure  from  the  words  of  inspiration. 
Sesides,  I  do  not  discover  that  the  views  I  have  taken  reflect 
any  dishonor  upon  the  character  of  God,  or  of  the  divine  Me- 
diator; but  rather  add  a  lustre  to  the  character  of  that  invis- 
ible Divinity,  who  thus  so  clearly  reveals  all  his  adorable  per- 
fections to  the  intelligent  world,  by  him  who  is  declared  to  be 
"  The  image  of  the  invisible  God,  and  the  first  born  of  every 
oreature." 

That  the  mediatorial  kingdom,  or  kingdom  of  God,  men- 
itioned  by  the  Evangelists,  is  not  the  kingdom  of  immortality, 
I  learn  from  the  fact  that  it  is  to  be  given  up,  or  the  authority 
^resigned,  when  a  certain  event  shall  be  accomplished,  and  to 
•be  succeeded  by  another  state  of  things.  It  was  established 
for  a  specific  purpose,  and  that  purpose  embraced  the  subju- 
gation and  reconciliation  of  all  things  to  God.  The  prophet 
says,  "  And  a  kingdom  was  given  to  him,  that  all  people,  na- 
tions, and  languages  should  serve  him."  (Dan.  7:  14.)  The 
apostle  says,  "  Then  cometh  the  end,  when  he  shall  have  de- 
livered up  the  kingdom  to  God,  even  the  Father;  when  he 
shall  have  put  down  all  rule,  and  all  authority,  and  power. 
For  he  must  reign,  till  he  hath  put  all  enemies  under  his  feet. 
And  when  all  things  shall  be  subdued  unto  him,  then  shall 
the  Son  also  himself  be  subject  unto  him  that  put  all  things 
under  him,  that  God  may  be  all  in  all."  (1  Cor.  15  :  24, 
25,28.) 

This  kingdom  is  so  denominated,  perhaps,  because  Christ 
rules  in  it  supremely,  as  Lawgiver,  King,  and  Judge  ;  but 
there  is  very  little  analogy  between  his  kingdom  and  the  king- 
doms of  this  world.  We  would,  I  am  persuaded,  in  the  pre- 
sent age  of  the  world,  set  forth  a  more  correct  idea  of  it,  if 
we  should  denominate  it  a  school ;  for  it  is  a  school  of  divine 


480  DOCTRINAL   VIEWS. 

instruction,  as  has  been  before  demonstrated,  of  which  Clirist 
is  the  divine  Principal  and  Teacher ;  and  he  has  established 
such  modes  of  teaching  and  discipline,  of  which  we  shall 
have  occasion  more  fully  to  speak  hereafter,  as  are  calculated 
to  accomplish  the  great  purposes  of  its  establishment.     This 
kingdom  extends,  not  only  over  the  present  mode  of  existence, 
but  also  over  the  future.     The  dissolution  of  this  mortal  body, 
simply,  can  not,  according  to  the  views  I  have  presented,  and 
which  I  believe  are  the  only  views  sanctioned  by  the  Scrip- 
tures, fit  and  prepare  the  soul  for  the  possession  and  enjoy- 
ment  of  the  immortal  inheritance.     Nor  can  I  conceive  that 
an  unconscious  sleep,  from  the  death  of  the  body  to  the  re- 
surrection,.can  have  a  more  salutary  effect.     Therefore,  there 
is  an  intermediate  state  of  instruction,  between  the  dissolution 
of  the  body  and  the  consummating  event,  called  "  the  resur- 
rection of  the  dead."     And  that  there  is  a  continuous  con- 
scious  state,  between  the  death  of  the  body  and  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  dead,  I  learn  most  clearly  from  the  declaration  of 
our  Savior,  where  he  says  of  God,  "  He  is  the  God  of  Abra- 
ham, the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob.     For  he  is  not 
a  God  of  the  dead,  but  of  the  living ;  for  all  live  unto  him." 
(Luke,  20:  37,  38.)     I  also  learn  it  from  the  appearance  of 
Moses  and  Elias  at  the  transfiguration  of  Christ  on  the  mount ; 
from  the  circumstance  of  the  appearance  of  many  at  the  time 
of  the  crucifixion  ;  as  well  as  from  numerous  declarations  of 
the  inspired  apostle,  which,  to  me,  would  be  meaningless  with- 
out the  existence  of  such  a  state  :  such,  for  example,  as  "  To 
live  is  Chrbt,  but  to  die  is  gain  ;"■  and,  "  It  is  better  to  depart 
and  be  with  Christ."     See  Philippians,  1 :  21,  23,  and  many 
other  passages. 

The  amplitude  of  the  kingdom  and  tl^ae  mission  o(  our  Sa- 
vior, is  abundantly  confirmed  by  every  prediction  of"  God's 
holy  prophets,"  who  have  spoken  of  his  coming,  "  and  the 
glory  that  should  follow."  Hear  a  few  of  them.  "  I  will 
declare  the  decree,  [Ah !  here  is  a  decree ;  but  it  regards 


DOCTRINAL    VIEWS.  481 

the  purpose  of  God — not  the  actions  of  men,]   Thou  art  my 
Son,  this  day  have  I  begotten  thee.     Ask  of  me,  and  I  shall 
give  thee  the  heathen  for  thine  inheritance,  and  the  uttermost 
parts  of  the  earth  for  thy  possession."  (Ps.  2  :  7,  8.)     "  He 
shall  have  dominion  also  from  sea  to  sea,  and  from  the  rivers 
unto  the  ends  of  the  earth."  (Ps.  72  :  8.)  "  It  is  a  light  thing 
that  thou  shouldst  be  my  servant  to  raise  up  the  tribes  %f  Ja- 
cob, and  to  restore  the  preserved  of  Israel ;  I  will  also  give 
thee  for  a  light  to  the  Gentiles,  that  thou  mayest  be  my  salva- 
tion unto  the  end  of  the  earth."  (Isaiah   49:  6.)     It  is  also 
confirmed  by  the  testimony  of  John  the  Baptist,  who  says, 
"  The  Father  loveth  the  Son,  and  hath  given  all  things  into 
his  hand."  (John  3^35.)     The  unerring  word  of  the  Son 
of  God  assures  us,  that  "  All  things  are  delivered  unto  me  of 
my  Father.'"  (Matthew   11:  18.)     "  All  power  is  given  un- 
to me  in  Aearew,  and  in  earth.''  (Matthew  28:  18.)     But  to 
be  in  this  kingdom  implies,  to  be  under  the  immediate  instruc- 
tion of  Christ,  or  under  the  influence  of  the  institutions  and 
means  which  he  has  appointed  to  be  employed  in  this  divine 
school ;  and  to  be  out  of  this  kingdom,  is  to  be  excluded  from 
those  privileges.     Hence,  Christ  says  to  the  Jews,  who  had 
heretofore  been  under  the  more  immediate  and  efficient  means 
of  divine  instruction,  "  The  kingdom  of  God  shall  be  taken 
from  you,  and  given  to  a  nation  bringing  forth  the  fruits  there- 
of." (Matthew  21:  43.)     '' Many  shall  come  from  the  east 
and  west,  and  shall  sit  down  with  Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and 
Jacob  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven :  but  the  children  of  the 
kingdom  shall  be  cast  out  into  utter  darkness."  (Matthew  8  : 
11,12.)     "There  shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth, 
when   ye   shall   see    Abraham,    and    Isaac,  and    Jacob,  and 
all  the  prophets,  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  you  yourselves 
thrust  out."  (Luke  13:  28.)     This  view  explains  and  har- 
monizes many   expressions  of  the  Savior,  which  otherwise 
would  be  enigmatical ;  such  as  taking  away  the  keys  of  know- 
ledge — taking  the  kingdom  of  heaven  by  violence — shutting 
E — E 


432  DOCTRINAL    VIEWS. 

up  the  kingdom  of  heaven — and,  especially,  the  gift  of  the 
keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  to  Peter,  who  by  this  special 
favor  was  authorized  and  empowered  to  open  this  new  school, 
both  to  Jews  and  Gentiles. 

That  the  authority  and  mission  of  Christ  extend  over  the 
future  as  well  as  the  present  mode  of  existence,  I  learn  from 
the  iri|pired  apostles.  They  denominate  him,  "  The  Judge, 
[L  e.  Kuler  and  Teacher,]  of  the  quick  and  the  dead."  (Acts 
10  :  42  ;  2  Tim.  4  :  1 ;  1  Peter  4  :  5.)  Once  more  :  "  Whe- 
ther we  live,  we  live  unto  the  Lord  ;  and  whether  we  die,  we 
die  unto  the  Lord ;  whether  we  live  therefore  or  die,  we  are 
the  Lord's.  For  to  this  end  Christ  both  died,  and  rose,  and 
revived,  that  he  might  be  Lord  both  of  the  dead  and  living." 
(Rom.  14:  8,9.) 

That  the  kingdom  of  which  I  have  been  speakmg  is  not  a 
state  of  probation,  is  obvious  from  its  very  nature,  and  the  ob- 
ject for  which  it  was  established.  Probation  is  not  a  term  of 
Scripture  ;  nor  is  it  applicable  to  any  state  or  condition  of  man 
under  the  government  of  Christ.  Christ  did  not  come  to  try 
men — to  see  if  they  were  fit  for  the  kingdom  of  glory  ;  but,  by 
suitable  and  proper  instruction  and  discipline,  to  make  them  so. 
The  state  of  man,  therefore,  through  the  whole  reign  of  the 
kingdom  of  Christ,  both  in  the  present  and  future  modes  of 
existence,  is  a  state  of  discipline,  instruction,  and  improve- 
ment. 


PROPOSITION  IV -OF  PUNISHMENT. 


Punishment,  under  the  government  of  Christ,  is  not  vindictive, 
nor  retaliatory  ;  hut  disciplinary  and  emendaiory. 

Nothing  reflects  so  much  dishonor  on  the  divine  character 
— so  tarnishes  the  divine  glory,  as  to  ascribe  vindictiveness,  or 
a  spirit  of  retaliation,  to  God !  This  representation  of  the  di- 
vine Being,  together  with  the  other  absurdities  of  Calvinism, 
once  almost  drove  me  into  the  "  bottomless  pit"  of  infidelity. 
In  the  whole  administration  of  the  divine  government,  in  all 
its  ramifications,  there  is,  there  can  be  but  one  ultimate  pur- 
pose  and  design ;  and  that  is  the  willing  subjection  of  all 
moral  intelligences  to  the  will,  and  their  assimilation  to  the 
character  of  God,  thereby  making  them  "  partakers  "  of  the 
felicity  *'  of  the  divine  nature."  Does  any  one  say,  "  God 
governs  for  his  own  glory?"  I  answer,  "  This  is  for  the  glory 
of  God."  The  glory  of  God  is  displayed  in  the  revelation  of 
his  adorable  perfections,  and  in  the  accomplishment  of  all  his 
divine  purposes ;  and  in  no  other  way  could  he  appear  glori- 
ous. All  the  divine  attributes  harmonize — there  are  no  con- 
flicting demands  between  them.  What  justice  demands  of  the 
sinner,  mercy  pleads  for;  and  the  stripes  that  justice  inflicts, 
mercy  approves  and  sanctifies.  What  else  could  the  Psalmist 
mean  when  he  said,  "  Unto  thee,  O  Lord,  belongeth  mercy  ; 
for  thou  renderest  to  every  man  according  to  his  work."  (Ps. 
62  ;  12.)  We  know  that  justice  demands  an  equitable  retri- 
bution— a  suitable  punishment,  according  to  our  sins ;  but 
unless  it  has  a  still  further  demand — has  an  eye  on  the  conse- 


484  DOCTRINAL    VIEWS.  , 

"quences  of  that  punishment — if  it  be  satisfied  with  the  mere 
infliction  of  pain,  it  becomes  revenge,  not  justice.  But  God 
says,  under  the  solemnity  of  an  oath,  that  he  has  no  pleasure 
in  the  punishment  itself — in  the  pain  inflicted  ;  but  in  the  ef- 
fect designed  to  be  produced  thereby:  "As  I  live,  saith  the 
Lord  God,  I  have  no  pleasure  in  the  death,  [punishment,]  of 
the  wicked  ;  hut  that  the  luicked  turn  from  his  way,  and  Uve.^' 
(Ezekiel  33  :  11.)  Punishment,  in  order  to  be  just  and  equi- 
table,  and  not  vindictive  and  unmerciful,  must  be  a  means, 
and  not  an  end  ;  and  just  enough  to  accomplish  the  end  de- 
signed, and  no  more  ;  and  by  that  the  quantity  of  punishment 
must  be  measured,  and  not  by  the  magnitude  of  the  offense. 
In  all  human  penal  codes  there  is  something  vindictive.  We 
graduate  the  punishment  by  the  magnitude  of  the  offense,  and 
not  by  the  effect  produced.  We  say,  if  a  man  steal  so  much, 
he  shall  be  so  long  confined  in  the  common  jail ;  if  he  steal 
so  much  more,  he  shall  go  to  the  penitentiary  for  one  year  ; 
and  if  he  steal  still  more,  he  shall  go  for  a  longer  term,  &c., 
without  any  regard  to  his  moral  reformation.  It  is  not  so  with 
God ;  he  says,  "  When  the  wicked  man  turneth  away  from 
his  wickedness  which  he  hath  committed,  and  doeth  that  which 
is  lawful  and  right,  he  shall  save  his  soul  alive."  (Eze.  18: 
27.)  Nor  is  it  so  with  an  earthly  parent.  To  illustrate :  A 
parent  has  two  sons ;  both  commit  offenses  against  his  gov- 
emment  which  merit  correction  ;  but  the  crime  o  •  ne  is  very 
trifling,  just  enough  to  make  correction  necessary;  vhile  that 
of  tlie  other  is  most  heinous.  The  parent  call ;  both  to  an 
account;  and  according  to  human  laws,  and  the  ordinary 
opinions  of  mankind  in  regard  to  the  demerit  of  yiii  and  the 
demands  of  justice,  one  must  receive  a  very  severe  punish- 
ment, while  a  slight  correction  is  all  the  other  deserves.  But 
the  parent  is  influenced  by  parental  feelings  and  sympathies. 
He  does  not  punish  for  the  sake  of  gratifying  vindictive  feel- 
ings,  but  to  reform  his  sons — to  bring  them  to  repentance. 
He  takes  no  pleasure  in  the  pain  they  endure  ;  but,  although 


DOCTRINAL    VIEWS.  485 

painful  to  himself  to  chastise  them,  he  is  encouraged  to  do  it, 
and  consoled  for  the  pain  he  endures  only  by  the  hope  of  the 
beneficial  effects  it  will  produce  upon  his  wayward  children  . 
He  begins  with  the  greatest  offender;  and  before  he  has  in- 
flicted the  fifth  stripe,  the  child  falls  on  his  knees,  asks  par- 
don for  his  offense,  and  promises  amendment..  It  is  enough 
— the  object  is  attained — he  has  received  all  he  deserves,  and 
to  inflict  another  blow  would  be  cruelty.  The  parent  then 
calls  up  the  light  offender,  and  commences  with  him  ;  but  he 
is  as  stubborn  as  a  bull,  and  receives  as  many  as  the  ancient 
Jewish  law  could  inflict,  forty  save  one,  and  perhaps  more, 
before  he  yields.  Now  this  last  has  received  no  more  than 
he  deserved,  although  he  has  received  ten  times  the  amount 
of  the  great  offender,  because  he  has  received  no  more  than 
was  necessary  to  produce  the  desired  effect;  and  to  have 
stopped  short  of  this  would  have  been  both  unjust  and  unmer- 
ciful. Here,  then,  are  justice  and  mercy  blended,  and  satis- 
fied— ^justice  in  the  retribution  awarded,  and  mercy  in  the  ef- 
fect produced ;  and  this  I  consider  a  fair  illustration  of  the 
retributive  government  of  our  heavenly  Father.  And  this, 
we  surely  learn  from  Holy  Writ ;  for  when  God  threatened 
the  most  severe  punishment  conceivable  upon  Israel,  he  said, 
"  By  this,  therefore,  shall  the  iniquity  of  Jacob  be  purged  ; 
and  this  is  all -the  fruit  to  take  away  his  sins ;  when  he  maketh 
all  the  stones  of  the  altar  as  chalk-stones  that  are  beaten  in 
sunder,  the  groves  and  the  images  shall  not  stand  up."  (Isa. 
37:  9.) 

From  the  view  I  have  taken  of  this  subject  we  discover, 
that  there  is  no  such  thing  under  the  divine  government  as 
penal  punishment  for  sin ;  that  is,  so  much  punishment  be- 
cause of  such  an  amount  of  transgression,  but  a  punishment 
IN  sin.  God  makes  the  way  of  the  transgressors  hard,  not 
because  they  have  sinned,  but  because  they  do  sin  ;  and  this 
is  done  not  to  gratify  a  vindictive  spirit,  but  to  convince  them 
ot  the  mistake  they  have  made,  dissuade  them  from  sin,  turn 


486  DOCTRINAL   VIEWS. 

them  from  an  evil  course,  and,  with  other  means,  to  "  heal  all 
their  backslidings."  Neither  is  there  any  reward  for  obedi- 
ence, but  IN  obedience.  In  keeping  the  commands  there  is 
great  reward  ;  (Ps.  19:  11,)  in  the  elevated  enjoyment  which 
the  soul  received  in  the  very  act  of  obedience  ;  and  this  is  re- 
ward enough.  My  friend  invites  me  to  a  feast ;  I  accept  the 
proffered  hospitality,  and  luxuriate  in  the  gratification  and 
pleasure  of  the  entertainment.  But  with  what  astonishment 
and  surprise  would  he  stare  at  me,  if,  after  I  had  enjoyed  his 
kindness  and  partaken  of  his  bounty,  I  should  step  up  to  him, 
and  demand  pay  for  what  I  had  received  ?  Equally  absurd 
is  the  general  notion  of  being  rewarded/or  our  acts  of  right- 
eousness. 

Punishment — I  use  this  term  because  it  is  a  common  one, 
although  I  dislike  it ;  for,  according  to  the  general  accepta- 
tion, it  always  carries  with  it  a  notion  of  vindictiveness — but 
punishment,  under  the  divine  government,  is  not,  therefore, 
vindictive,  but  disciplinary  and  emendatory ;  and  this  disci- 
pline, if  I  am  right  in  my  views  concerning  the  kingdom  of 
Christ,  is  extended  through  every  department  of  that  school, 
and  will  necessarily  continue  until  his  pupils  have  completed 
their  primary  education,  and  are  prepared  for  a  higher  sphere. 
Suffering  will  only  be  proportionable  to  our  obstinacy,  or  the 
darkness  we  have  involved  ourselves  in  by  transgression. 
That  man  will  commit  sin  in  a  future  state  I  argue  not — be- 
lieve not.  But  I  see  no  inconsistency  in  supposing  that  he 
may  suffer  the  consequences  of  sin,  through  the  darkness 
which  he  has  brought  upon  himself  by  transgression,  and  by 
his  neglecting  to  improve  the  means  of  instruction  in  the  pre- 
sent life.  And  such,  it  clearly  appears  to  me,  is  the  doctrine 
of  the  apostle,  where  he  says,  that  "  Christ  being  put  to  death 
in  the  flesh,  but  quickened  by  the  spirit,  went  and  preached 
to  the  spirits  in  prison,  which  were  sometime  disobedient,  when 
the  long-suffering  of  God  waited  in  the  days  of  Noah."  (1 
Peter  3 :  18,  19,  20.)     Every  other  exposition  of  this  passage 


DOCTRINAL    VIEWS.  487 

that  f  have  ever  seen  advanced,  appears  to  me  to  be  far-fetched, 
strahied,  and  irrelevant. 

I  formerly — a  great  many  years  ago — reasoned,  that  as  all 
sin  originated  in  our  earthly  natures,  our  animal  propensities 
being  alone  vulnerable  to  temptation,  and  sin  being  the  only 
cause  of  misery  ;  when  our  bodies  were  dissolved,  our 
animal  propensities  destroyed,  all  temptation  to  sin  would 
cease,  and  sin,  which  is  the  cause  of  misery,  consequently 
would  come  to  an  end  ;  and  as  the  effect  must  cease  when 
the  cause  is  destroyed,  therefore  there  could  be  no  misery  or 
suffering  after  the  dissolution  of  our  mortal  bodies :  not  con- 
sidering the  fact,  that  a  consequence  may  remain  long  after 
the  cause  which  produced  it  has  ceased  to  operate.  My  body 
may  be  prostrated  by  a  burning  fever,  (as  it  has  been,)  near 
to  dissolution — that  fever  may  yield  to  medical  treatment,  and 
be  entirely  expelled  from  the  physical  system ;  yet  it  will 
take  a  long  while  after  the  fever  is  removed,  with  careful 
nursing  and  strict  regimen,  to  restore  one  to  health  and  strength. 
Again  :  The  parent  provides  a  school  for  his  son,  and  furnishes 
him  with  all  tho  means  necessary  to  obtain,  during  his  minor- 
ity, a  competeiit  education  to  transact  the  business  of  life  when 
he  becomes  a  man  ;  but  the  son,  through  idleness  and  inatten- 
tion to  the  means  afforded,  reaches  his  majority  in  a  state  of 
profound  ignorance.  And  although  he  now  sees  his  folly, 
and  deplores  his  neglect,  he  nevertheless  is  compelled  to  suf- 
fer the  consequence,  and  loses  time  and  happiness  by  being 
obliged  to  prosecute  studies  which  he  had  neglected  during 
his  minority. 


PROP.  V.-OF  THE  RESURRECTION. 


The  resurrection  of  the  dead,  as  argued  by  the  apostle  1  Cor. 
chap,  \b,nofa  resuscitation  of  these  material  bodies  ;  but  ari- 
sing, or  resurrection  of  the  whole  body  of  the  church  from  the 
intermediate  state,  or  from  the  mediatorial  or  preparatory 
kingdom  to  the  immortal  kingdom. 

The  doctrine  of  the  resurrection  of  the  dead  is  placed,  by 
the  apostle,  as  the  fundamental  doctrine  of  the  Christian  faith 
— as  that  on  which  the  whole  fabric  rests ;  a  denial  of  which 
represented  the  apostles  as  bearing  false  witness  of  God,  and 
overthrew  the  validity  of  the  whole  revelation  that  God  had 
made  to  man.  It  has  always  been  considered  by  divines,  in 
every  age  of  the  church,  as  an  indispensible  article  of  the 
Christian  faith,  necessary  to  be  believed  in  order  to  secure 
salvation.  But  the  diverse  and  conflicting  opinions  which 
have  obtained,  in  regard  to  what  body  should  be  raised,  as 
well  as  the  nature  of  the  resurrection  state,  have  very  clear- 
ly proved  to  me,  that  "  they  understood  not  what  they  said  ; 
nor  whereof  they  affirmed."  The  habit  of  applying  the 
word  resurrection,  in  all  cases  where  they  find  it,  to  a  single 
point,  has  led  many  into  the  most  absurd  inconsistencies  and 
contradictions ;  and  compelled  them  to  represent  that  state, 
wherein  Christ  said  there  should  be  no  more  death,  but  all 
its  subjects  should  be  "equal  unto  the  angels,  and  be  children 
of  God,  being  children  of  the  resurrection,"  as  a  state  of 
endless  impurity  and  death !  Others,  who  have  obtained  a 
more  correct  notion  of  the  resurrection  state,  seem  at  a  loss 


DOCTRINAL    VIEWS.  489 

about  the  subject  of  the  resurrection,  and  the  time  and  man- 
ner of  its  occurrence.     One  maintains  that  there  is  no  inhe- 
rent principle  of  immortality  in  man — that  conscious  exist- 
ence is  alone  the  effect  of  material  organization — that  at  the 
death  of  the  body  man  falls  into  an  unconscious  sleep,  and 
so  remains  until  the  time  of  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  when 
all  shall  be  raised  at  one  and  the  same  time,  and  receive  the 
bodies  identical  they  put  off  at  death,  in  a  refined  and  indis- 
soluble nature,  and  resume  a  conscious  existence.     Another 
maintains  that  the  general  resurrection  of  the  dead  means  the 
resurrection  of  all,  but  not  at  one  and  the  same  time  ;  and  that 
the  resurrection  is  progressive  as  the  demise  of  our  race  is 
progressive,  one  after  another ;  and  that  the  body  which  man 
lays  down,  "  is  not  that  body  which  shall  be,  but  God  giveth 
it  a  body'as  it  hath  pleased  him,"  at  the  time  of  putting  off 
this  body  of  flesh ;  and  he  immediately  arises,  and  enters  into 
the  resurrection  state.     Others,  who  have  learned,  or  think 
they  have  learned,  from  the  words  of  the  apostle,  that  the  re- 
surrection of  the  dead,  and  the  simultaneous  change  of  the 
living,  is  an  event  that  is  to  take  place  at  a  specified  point  of 
time  ;  that  it  is  the  closing  event  of  the  mediatorial  mission ; 
and  also  that  there  is  an  intermediate  state  of  conscious  ex- 
istence— that  death  is  not  an  unconscious  sleep  of  the  soul — 
that  the  soul  exists  in  some  form,  and  must  therefore   have  a 
spiritual  body,  or  vehicle  ;  seem  to  be  at  a  loss  about  what  will 
be  raised.     The  soul  already  has  a  body,  exists   in  a  higher 
state  than  it  did  in  this  mortal  body,  and,  according  to  com- 
mon phraseology,  is  already  in  eternity,  and  inherits  immor- 
tality.    What,  then,  can  be  raised  ?  What  beneficial  change 
can  it  experience  ?     These  are  questions  which  seem  difficult 
to  answer  upon  this  hypothesis. 

I  have  felt  deeply  interested  in  this  research,  having  never 
found  a  theory  published  by  uninspired  man  that  did  not,  in 
my  estimation,  involve  inextricable  difficulties.  But  I  do 
think  that  Heaven  has  opened  my  understaiiding  to  see  the 


490  DOCTRINAL    VIEWS. 

theory  of  the  inspired  apostle,  on  this  all-important  subject, 
which  is  not  only  reconcilable  with  itself,  but  in  perfect  har- 
mony with  the  general  thread  of  divine  revelation  on  the 
subject  of  the  resurrection  of  the  dead.  And  now,  with  all 
due  deference  to  the  opinions  of  the  learned,  and  to  those 
thinking  heads  who  have,  certainly  on  most  subjects,  thought 
longer  and  more  deeply  than  myself,  I  will  venture  "  also  to 
give  mine  opinion." 

The  primary  meaning  of  the  word  anastasis,  translated 
resurrection,  according  to  Parkhurst,  is  not  a  resuscitation  of 
this  mortal  body,  nor  the  bringing  of  any  dead  thing  to  life ; 
but  a  rising  up  from  a  lower  to  a  higher  state,  or  situation  ; 
and  consequently  may  imply,  advancing  forward,  or  higher 
in  a  moral  condition;  as  I  am  satisfied  it  often  does  mean. 
Parklmrst  says,  "  anastasis,  from  anislemi,  to  rise,"  signifies 
"  a  standing  on  the  feet  again,  or  rising,  as  opposed  to  falling. 
It  occurs,  though  figuratively,  in  this  view,  Luke  2  :  34. 
(Comp.  Isa.  8  :  14,  15.)  In  the  LXX  it  is  twice  used,  Lam. 
3  :  62.  Zeph.  3:  8  ;  in  both  of  which  texts  it  answers  to  the 
Heb.  [word]  to  stand  up,  rise,  and  in  the  former  is  opposed  to 
sitting."     {Parkhurst' s  Greek  and  English  Lexicon.) 

From  the  word  itself,  then,  we  can  neither  learn  the  nature, 
nor  the  subjects  of  the  resurrection.  It  should  be  remem- 
bered, that  the  apostle,  both  in  the  15th  chapter  of  first  Cor., 
and  4th  chapter  of  first  Thess.,  uses  the  terms  dead  and 
asleep^  not  necessarily  as  implying  a  state  of  unconscious- 
ness, but  in  opposition  to  life  in  the  flesh — to  distinguish  those 
who  have  departed  from  those  who  remain  in  the  flesh.  The 
subjects,  therefore,  of  the  resurrection  of  which  he  speaks, 
may  have  as  active  an  existence,  or  more  so,  than  men  in 
the  flesh  ;  but  are  not  in  as  high  a  moral  or  spiritual  state 
as  they  can  arrive  at.  It  should  also  be  noticed,  that  he  uses 
the  terms  Adam  and  Christ,  the  first  and  the  second  man,  as 
representatives  of  the  two  states  or  conditions  of  man,  the 


DOCTRINAL   VIEWS.  491 

earthly  and  the  spiritual.  The  body  of  Adam  is  the  whole 
body  of  man  in  the  flesh ;  the  body  of  Christ  is  that  whole 
body  redeemed  and  delivered  from  the  flesh  :  and  the  state  to 
which  that  whole  body  is  to  be  ultimately  raised,  is  a  state 
"  like  unto  his  glorious  body.''  But  the  glorious  body  of  Christ 
did  not  appear  unto  the  disciples  at  his  resurrection  from  the 
tomb  of  Joseph  ;  but  only  to  Peter,  James,  and  John,  at  the 
mount  of  transfiguration,  and  afterwards  to  John,  on  the  isle 
of  Patmos. 

Having  premised  the  foregoing  particulars,  1  am  prepared 
to  enter  into  a  more  careful  and  critical  examination  of  the 
important  subject. 

In  the  15th  chapter  of  1st  Corinthians,  which  contains  the 
most  elaborate  argument  the  apostle  uses  in  all  his  writings 
on  any  individual  subject,  we  find  four  positions  distinctly 
defined,  and  attended  to  ;  first,  the  jTac^  of  the  resurrection  of 
the  dead ;  second,  the  order  of  the  resurrection,  in  point  of 
priority  and  time;  third,  the  manner  of  the  resurrection,  and 
character  of  the  body  raised  ;  fourth,  the  consequence,  or  the 
resurrection  state.  That  this  august  event,  which  includes 
the  simultaneous  resurrection  of  all  the  dead,  and  the  change 
of  all  the  living,  takes  place  at  the  same  identical  instant  of 
time,  is  expressed  in  as  strong  and  as  plain  terms  as  it  is  pos  - 
sible  to  use,  in  51st  and  52d  verses  :  "  We  shall  not  all  sleep, 
but  we  shall  all  be  changed,  in  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of 
an  eye,  at  the  last  trump ;  for  the  trumpet  shall  sound,  and 
the  dead  shall  be  raised  incorruptible,  and  we  shall  be 
changed." 

Of  the  order  he  says,  "Christ  the  first-fruits ;"  and  then 
no  more  until  the  consummation — until  the  coming  which  the 
apostle  particularly  describes  in  1st  Thessalonians,  4th  chap, 
ter,  and  which  is  parallel  with  the  declaration  of  the  angels 
to  the  disciples  at  the  time  of  his  ascension,  (See  Acts  1  :  11,) 
when  he  "  shall  have  put  down  all  rule,  and  authority,  and 


492  DOCTRINAL    VIEWS. 

power;"  and  when  "  all  things  shall  be  subdued  unto  him," 
(vs.  23 — 2S,)  then  shall  all  the  members  of  his  body  be  rais- 
ed up  ;  all  that  die  in  Adam,  the  earthly  body,  shall  be  made 
alive  in  Christ,  the  spiritual  body."  (v.  22.) 

In  the  whole  of  his  description  of  the  manner  of  the  resur- 
rection,  and  the  nature  and  character  of  the  body  to  be  raised, 
the  apostle  is  careful  to  use  the  singular  number  when  he 
speaks  of  the  body.  "  But  some  man  will  say,  how  are  the 
dead  raised  up?  and  with  what  hody,  (not  bodies,)  do  they 
come  ?"  And  when  he  leaves  similitude  and  metaphor,  to 
describe  expressly  the  character  of  the  resurrection  body,  he 
uses  the  singular  pronoun,  it—it,  the  one  whole  body — "  It  is 
sown  in  corruption,  it  is  raised  in  incorruption."  (v.  42.) 
Compare  this  with  Rom.  8  :  23.  "  And  not  only  they,  but 
ourselves  also,  which  have  the  first-fruits  of  the  spirit,  even 
we  ourselves  groan  within  ourselves,  waiting  for  the  adoption, 
to  wit,  the  redemption  of  our  body."  This  hody  was  the 
whole  creation,  which  the  apostle  had  before  said,  "  Was  made 
subject  to  vanity,  not  willingly,  but  by  reason  of  him  who 
hath  subjected  the  same  in  hope  ;"  that  is,  it  was  "sown  in 
corruption,  in  dishonor,  in  weakness,  a  natural  hody  J  ^  But 
God  had  not  left  them  without  a  hope,  and  with  this  hope,  al- 
though  they  could  not  suppress  a  groan,  they  were  waiting 
for  it  to  receive  a  deliverance  "from  the  bondage  of  corrup- 
tion into  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  children  of  God  ;"  that  is, 
for  it  to  be  "  raised  in  incorruption,  in  glory,  in  power,  a  spir- 
itual body,"  where  all  the  members  would  be  "  equal  unto 
the  angels  and  be  children  of  God,  being  children  of  the  re- 
surrection ;"  and  until  which,  not  one  could  be  perfectly 
blessed,  because  "  While  one  member  suffers,  all  the  members 
suffer  with  it."  (1  Cor.  12:  26.) 

The  apostle  often  makes  use  of  the  metaphor  of  the  phys- 
ical human  body  to  illustrate  the  connection  of  the  members 
of  the  church,  and  the  relation  which  exists  between  Christ 


DOCTRINAL    VIEWS.  493 

and  the  church.  "I  would  have  you  to  know  that  the  head 
of  every  man  is  Christ."  (1  Cor.  11:3.)  "  Now  are  ye  the 
iody  of  Christ,  and  members  in  particular."  (1  Cor.  12:  17.) 
"For  we  are  members  of  his  flesh,  and  his  bones."  (Eph. 
5:  30.) 

Should  we  admit  that  this  body,  or  any  of  the  members 
thereof,  have  already  been  exalted  to  the  highest  state  of  spi- 
ritual glory,  and  have  been  made  partakers  of  the  full  frui- 
tion of  the  immortal  inheritance,  it  will  not  only  militate 
against  the  simultaneous  resurrection  of  all  the  dead,  but  will 
render  unintelligible  a  vast  many  passages  of  the  inspired 
word  ;  such,  for  instance,  as  the  one  above  quoted  ;  "  While 
one  member  suffers,  a//  the  members  suffer  with  it."  Besides,, 
the  inheritance  is  a  joint  inheritance.  ''  And  if  children,  then 
heirs;  heirs  of  God,  and  joint-heirs  with  Christ."  (Rom.  8  : 
17.)  And  of  a  joint  inheritance,  the  eldest  can  not  come  into 
full  possession  until  the  youngest  heir  becomes  of  age. 

The  body  to  be  raised,  therefore,  is  a  body  already  in  ex- 
istence, not  extinct,  nor  unconscious,  yet  not^in  its  highest  and 
most  exalted  state.  This  appears  to  be  plainly  the  doctrine 
which  Christ  taught  to  the  Sadducees.  He  seemed  to  predi- 
cate  his  argument  for  the  resurrection  of  the  dead  upon  the 
fact,  that  the  subjects  of  that  resurrection  were  not  extinct, 
but  still  lived  :  "  Now  that  the  dead  are  raised,  [and  as  I  un- 
derstand  it,  the  present  tense  of  the  passive  verb,  o,re  raised, 
in  this  connection,  has  a  future  signification,  tlie  same  as  are 
to  he  raised)  because  all  present  understood  the  subject  of  the 
resurrection  of  which  they  were  speaking  to  hefuture,  if  there 
could  be  any  such  event,]  Now  that  the  dead  are  raised,  even 
Moses  showed  at  the  bush,  when  he  called  the  Lord,  the  God 
of  Abraham,  and  the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob; 
for  he  is  not  a  God  of  the  dead,  but  of  the  livmg."  (Luke 
20  :  37,  38.)  Now  the  argument,  as  I  understand  iL,  is  this  : 
Because  they  are  not  dead,  but  still  live,  we  have  proof  that 


494  DOCTRINAL   VIEWS. 

God  will  raise  them.  Moreover,  we  have  positive  proof  that, 
when  Christ  was  upon  earth,  not  one  individual  member  of 
this  body  had  been  exalted  to  the  highest  heavens.  "  And  no 
man  hath  ascended  up  to  heaven,  but  he  who  came  down  from 
heaven,  even  the  Son  of  man  which  is  in  heaven."  (John  3  : 
13.)  And  again  ;  the  apostle  Peter  says,  "  For  David  is  not 
ascended  into  the  heavens."  (Acts  2  :  34.) 

People  are  in  a  habit  of  using  the  terms,  "  immortality  " 
and  "eternity"  familiarly,  as  applicable  to  that  state  into 
which  the  soul  enters  immediately  at  the  death  of  the  body, 
as  simply  signifying  a  continuous  perpetuity  of  existence ; 
but  it  certainly  appears  to  me,  that  the  inspired  penmen  had 
a  higher,  a  more  refined,  and  a  more  exalted  meaning  in  the 
use  of  these  words.  The  term  "  eternity  "  is  used  but  once 
in  the  whole  Bible,  and  is  there  called  the  habitation  of  God. 
"  For  thus  saith  the  high  and  lofty  One  that  inhabiteth  eter- 
nity." (Isa.  57:  15.)  The  apostle  says,  "Life  and  immor- 
tality  are  brought  to  light  through  the  Gospel."  (2  Tim.  1 : 
10.)  This  must  mean  that  the  Gospel  reveals  a  future  life, 
and  an  immortal  inheritance  to  be  enjoyed  in  that  life  ;  but  I 
do  not  understand  that  he  means  the  same  thing  by  life  as  by 
imviortality.  He  says,  that  God  "  only  hath  immortality,  dwell- 
ing in  the  light,  which  no  man  can  approach  unto."  (1  Tim. 
6  :  16.)  Eternity,  therefore,  is  the  habitation  of  the  infinite, 
divine  mind ;  and  immortality  is  the  blessedness  of  that  na- 
ture. Man,  therefore,  only  enters  eternity  when  he  unchange- 
ably approximates  the  divine  mind,  delivered  from  all  extra- 
neous influences  of  a  lower  nature ;  and  he  puts  on  immor- 
tality when  every  member  of  the  great  body  is  so  exalted  as  to 
deliver  him  from  all  those  sympathies  which  can  in  any  de- 
gree impair  the  lofty  felicity  which  results  from  the  onward 
and  upward  exploration  of  the  endlessly-unfolding  divine  per- 
fections . 
It  appears  to  me,  therefore,  strong  as  demonstration,  that 


DOCTRINAL    VIEWS.  ^^^5 

there  is  an  immediate,  future  state ;  that  all  who  have  enter- 
ed that  state,  as  well  as  all  in  the  present  state  of  existence, 
are  subjects  of  the  mediatorial  or  preparatory  kingdom  of 
Christ ;  and  are,  or  will  become,  pupils  in  that  school  under 
the  tuition  of  the  divine  Teacher,  in  such  institutions,  forms, 
and  circumstances  as  are  adapted  to  their  conditions ;  and  will 
enjoy  all  the  advantages  of  their  improvement,  that  is,  in- 
crease  in  blessedness  as  they  increase  in  divine  knowledge, 
wisdom,  and  holiness  ;  and  suffer  all  the  consequences  of  ob- 
stinacy and  misimprovement.  Were  I  to  indulge  a  conjec- 
ture, I  would  apprehend  that  the  future  department  of  this 
school  was  the  higher  department,  with  greater  facilities  for 
advancement  in  divine  wisdom  and  divine  life  ;  but  man  must 
be  free  there  as  well  as  here,  because  no  mind  can  be  com- 
felled  to  be  happy  contrary  to  its  will,  nor  can  he  be  so  with- 
out free,  voluntary  exercise ;  for  mental  advancement  and 
moral  improvement  constitute  the  basis  of  all  that  can  be  pro- 
perly called  felicity. 

We  then  necessarily  come  to  the  conclusion,  that  the  hu- 
man family — the  posterity  of  the  earthly  Adam  in  the  aggre- 
gate— constitute  that  church  which  "  Christ  loved,  and  gave 
himself  for,  that  he  might  sanctify  and  cleanse  it  with  the 
washing  of  water  by  the  word,  that  he  might,  [at  last,]  pre- 
sent it  to  himself  as  a  glorious  church,  not  having  spot  or 
v/rinkle,  or  any  such  thing ;  but  that  it  might  be  holy,  and 
without  blemish."  (Eph.  5  :  25,  26,  27.)  And  when  all  this 
shall  be  accomplished,  "  Then  cometh  the  end  " — then  the 
trump  will  be  sounded — then  the  "  Lord  himself  will  [again] 
descend  from  heaven  with  a  shout,  and  with  a  voice  of  the 
arch-angel  and  the  trump  of  God" — the  living  will  be  chang- 
ed — the  departed  and  the  living  be  united — "  Christ  will  de- 
liver up  the  kingdom  to  God,  even  the  Father;"  and,  united 
to  this  one  mystical  body,  raise  it  from  this  preparatory  or  me- 
diatorial kingdom  into  the  eternal  and  immortal  kingdom ; 


496  DOCTRINAL    VIEWS. 

and  into  the  perfect  fruition  of  the  immortal  inheritance  where 
"  God  is  ALL  in  all."     Amen. 

Then  will  be  heard  the  grateful  and  triumphant  song, 
bursting  in  sublime  symphony  from  the  united  voices  of  a 
redeemed  universe  :  "  O  death  !  where  is  thy  sting  ?  O  grave  ! 
where  is  thy  victory  ?  Thanks  be  to  God,  who  giveth  us  the 
victory  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  Halleluiah!  Amen. 
"  The  Lord  God  Omnipotent  reigneth !"    Amen,  and  Amen. 


^ 


PART  II. 

MISCELLANEOUS  POETRY 


For  my  own  amusement,  and  for  the  gratificatioa  of  particular  and  valued  ; 

Uicnds,  I  have  indulged  occasionany  in  the  muses  with  such  gilts  as  have  been 
iK-stowed  upon  me.  I  have  never  considered  myself  a  poet,  nor  claimed  sub- 
limity of  fancy  or  depth  of  thought  for  my  poetical  productions  ;  but  they 
have  served  to  fill  up  a  luche  in  the  versatility  of  a  busy  life,  and  have  gratified  | 

5ome  of  mj  partial  and  very  highly  esteemed  friends  ;  and  for  the  sake  of  \ 

.-such,  I  have  consented  to  introduce  a  few  pieces  to  such  of  my  readers  as  are  ! 

disposed  to  read  them,  at  the  close  of  my  book.    They  are  not  introduceti  to  j 

<,'ratify  the  delicate  spleen  of  the  connoisseur ;  nor  is  any  one  compelled  to  read  \ 

ihem  whose  fastidious  sensibility  may  be  wounded  by  the  roughness  of  ihd  , 

ifiujnbers  or  tlic  rudeness  of  the  rhyme. 


THE  BLOOM  OF  SPRING. 

Writfcn  in  the  year  1800  ;  and  designed  as  a  counterjmrt  1o 
ike  "  Gloom  of  Autumn,^ ^  a  popular  song  in  those  days. 


Join  with  me,  ye  youthful  songsters, 
Sing  the  blooming,  fragrant  spring —    . 

See  all  nature's  beauties  brighten, 
See  all  nature  smile  again  ! 

Long  has  earth  been  bound  in  fetters, 

Nature's  beauties  stood  aghast ; 
But  returning  spring  now  flatters 

That  the  rage  of  winter's  past. 

See  the  limpid  waters  pouring 

From  the  lofty  mountain's  side. 
From  their  icy  fetters  roaring, 

Through  the  valley  smoothly  glide. 

See  the  woods  in  verdant  clothing ; 

Feather'd  songsters  cheer  the  plain  ; 
View  the  landscape,  how  it  brightens — 

Meads  and  mountains  robed  in  green. 

See  the  lambs,  their  gambols  playing 
Round  their  bleating,  anxious  dams ; 

The  swain,  through  verdant  groves  a-straying 
With  his  lover  hand-in-hand. 


500  MISCELLANEOUS    POETRY. 

See  the  huntsman  briskly  bounding 
With  his  hounds,  the  wilds  to  rove ; 

While  his  mellow  horn  he's  sounding, 
Chase  the  roe-buck  through  the  grove. 

See  all  vegetation  springing — 
All  with  beauty  spring  adorn ; 

Fruit-trees,  white  as  lilies  blooming, 
Sweet  perfume  the  vernal  morn. 

Such  scenes  are  worthy  our  attention — 
Pleasant,  beauteous — Oh,  how  fair  ! 

They  lead  our  minds  to  contemplation — 
Transient,  fading  still  they  are  I 

While  we  mourn  these  short-lived  pleasures, 
Quick  they  come — how  soon  they're  o'er  !- 

Consider,  there's  a  richer  treasure 
Where  life's  winter  is  no  more. 

Here  we're  bound  in  mortal  fetters. 
Here  confined  in  one  cold  clod  ; 

But  soon  this  broken  band  shall  let  us 
Return,  like  spring,  to  nature's  God. 

There  are  everlasting  pleasures  ; 

There  is  one  eternal  spring  ; 
There  reigns  our  Savior — blessed  Jesus  ■ 

There  his  praises  angels  sing. 

There  all  nations  shall  adore  him ; 

There  before  his  throne  shall  fall ; 
And,  in  one  united  anthem, 

His  redeeming  grace  extol. 


MISCELLANEOUS    POETRY.                                      501  J 

These  are  pleasures  worth  all  trouble —  > 

Jesus  stands  our  heavenly  Friend  ; 

This  repays  us,  more  than  double,  j 

Though  these  short-lived  pleasures  end.  ] 

Haste,  O,  haste  our  quick  returning  !  J 

Blessed  Jesus  !  call  us  home  ;  ] 

Free  us  from  this  vale  of  mourning,  I 
To  thine  arms  bid  us  return. 


ELEGIAC  IINES. 

Written  in  the  year  1802,  by  request  of  special  friends,  Mr. 

and  Mrs.  M. ,  of  New  Salem,  Mass.,  who  were  le- 

reaved  of  a  very  promising  daughter,  aged  about  three  years. 


List,  friends  !  and  hear  the  solemn  sound  ! 

The  gloom-wrapt  heavens,  and  woe-smit  ground, 

In  awful  trembling  stand  ! 
While  down  the  mission 'd  angel  rode, 
Arm'd  with  the  shafts  of  death,  by  God, 

To  fulfil  his  dread  command  ! 

But  where,  great  Arbiter  of  fate. 
Thy  angel  send  ?     Thy  great  mandate 

Who  must  obey,  and  go  ? 
Must  hoary  age  the  summons  hear  ? 
Those  who  have  pass'd  the  golden  year  ? 

Or  those  in  manhood  ?     No. 

Who,  then  ?     Oh,  mournful  to  declare  ; 
My  trembling  muse,  in  half  despair. 
Doth  scarce  assistance  bring ; 


502  MISCELLANEOUS    POETRY. 

The  orbs  of  light  in  splendor  fail, 
All  nature  joins  the  solemn  wail, 
While  mournfully  I  sing. 

In  Salem  sprang  a  lily  bright, 
Just  open'd  to  the  morning  light, 

Dear  Nancy's  emblem  proved  ; 
At  this  the  shafts  of  death  were  thrown  ; 
The  lily's  cropp'd,  and  Nancy's  gone 

To  brighter  worlds  above. 

Her  infant  form  too  fair  appeared 
To  dwell  in  clay,  with  mortals  here, 

So  Christ  hath  call'd  her  home, 
To  deck  the  fields  of  heaven  above. 
Where  all  are  fill'd  with  heavenly  love, 

And  love  fills  every  song. 

But  O,  the  agonies  and  smart 
That  rend  the  tender  parent's  heart. 

To  part  with  that  dear  flower  ! 
Scarce  did  their  eyes  her  beauty  trace, 
And  their  affection  on  her  place — 

She's  gone,  to  be  no  more. 

With  drooping  hearts  they  view  the  urn 
That  holds  the  tender,  death-like  form, 

And  kiss  the  sleeping  clay  ; 
And,  weeping,  cry,  O  cruel  death .! 
Oh,  why  so  early  snatch  her  breath. 

And  hurry  her  away. 

But  cease,  fond  parents  !  cease  to  mourn, 
And  let  your  peace  again  return. 
And  worship,  praise,  adore  ; 


MISCELLANEOUS    POETRY.  50^ 

The  hand  who  gave  the  stroke  is  God  ! 

Then  bless  the  power,  and  kiss  the  rod, 

And  sigh,  and  weep  no  more. 

Know  that  he  will  a  Father  prove, 
And  all  his  ways  are  truth  and  love — 

He's  call'd  your  child  to  bliss, 
Where  you  will  soon  her  partner  be, 
Beyond  this  world  of  misery, 

Complete  in  happiness. 

There  death  no  more  can  friends  divide, 
There  all  our  sorrows  will  subside  ; 

We'll  spread  immortal  wing, 
And  in  a  song  of  triumph  say, 
"  O  grave  !  where  is  thy  victory, 

O  death  !  where   is  thy  sting." 

Then  humbly  wait  the  glorious  hour, 
When  Christ  shall  save  you  from  the  power 

Of  death,  the  king  of  dread, 
And  wing  you  to  felicity. 
Where  all  our  ransom'd  race  shall  be 

United  with  their  Head. 


504  MISCELLANEOUS    POETRY. 

EXPERIENCE— IN  TWO  PARTS. 

In  the  early  part  of  my  ministry  I  was  very  often  requested  to  relate  my  ex- 
perience, especially  by  my  Fartialist  friends.  Dear  souls !  they  love<i 
me,  and  earnestly  desired  my  salvation,  and  were  exceedingly  anxious  to 
tind  some  ground  to  indulge  a  hope  for  me  !  but  they  could  not  find  a  peg 
to  hang  the  leasthope  on,  unless  they  could  find  it  in  my  experience  ;  for 
they  always  look  there  for  the  foundation  of  hope,  rather  than  in  the  reve- 
lation that  God  hath  made  of  his  unchangeable  pui-pose — 

"  The  oath  and  promise  of  the  Lord." 
Therefore,  to  save  a  stale  prosaic  repetition,  I  put  it  in  homely  verse,  so  that 
I  could  repeat  it  viith  more  facility,  or  sing— sing!  Why,  did  you  ever  at- 
tempt to  sing  ? — Yes,  indeed  ;  in  those  days,  I  used  to  strain  up  my  voice, 
and  try  to  make  a  noise  lil^e  singing. 

The  first  part  was  written  in  1803,  soon  after  I  commenced  preaching, 
and  the  second  part  about  thirteen  years  afterwards.  I  have  used  meta- 
phor ;  but  it  is  expressive  of  m.y  ieelings,  and  will  be  readily  understood. 


In  seeking  for  pleasure,  I  fancied  a  treasure 
In  youthful  diversions  I  surely  should  find  ; 

So,  bent  on  such  folly,  determined  to  follow 
All  the  vain  dictates  of  a  fantastic  mind. 

My  liberty  gained  ;  then  all  that  remained 

Was  roving  the  country  in  search  of  my  prize  ; 

Dut  soon  I  perceived  that  I  was  deceived, 

For  roving's  a  pleasure  which  ne'er  sati-sfies. 

In  vain  recreation  I  found  only  vexation  ; 

Such  pleasures  are  short,  and  of  no  solid  worth : 
In  .sober  reflection,  I  found  an  objection 

To  spending  my  moments  in  frolicsome  mirth. 

My  days  fast  departing,  my  life  so  uncertain, 

That  something  more  worthy  I  thought  to  pursue  ; 

My  determination  was  then  education — 

The  paths  of  bright  science  to  visit  and  view. 


MISCELLANEOUS    POETRY. 


505 


Bat  here  I  discerned  the  great  and  the  learned, 

The  wise  and  the  good,  kings  and  nobles,  all  died  ; 

Death  over  all  reigned,  and  learning  here  failed ; 
"  Ah,  there  is  no  happiness  here,"  I  cried. 

In  darkness  and  horror,  my  soul  sank  in  sorrow  ; 

Soon,  soon  I  must  die,  and  there  is  no  reprieve  ; 
Friends  e'er  so  united  must  soon  be  divided. 

And  all  earthly  comforts  must  finally  leave. 

In  anguish  I  groaned,  and  sadly  bemoaned 
My  fate,  as  a  tenant  of  this  gloomy  world  ; 

While  sadness  oppress'd,  a  voice  me  address'd, 

Saying,  "  Why  these  complaints,  poor  ungrateful  child.'' 

The  voice,  though  alarming,  still  sounded  most  charming  : 
Such  music  enliven'd,  and  gladden'd  my  soul ; 

T  turn'd  to  invoke  it,  'twas  wisdom  that  spoke  it ; 
A  bright  form  stood  by  me  in  laurels  of  gold. 

With  love  near  she  drew  me,  and  spake  these  words  to  me, 

•'<  Blame  not  your  Creator,  nor  say  he's  unkind, 
But  take  a  flight  with  me,  and  quickly  you  shall  be 
Where  peace,  sweetest  comfort,  and  joy  you  shall  find." 

My  hand  then  she  seiz'd,  and  bore  me,  releas'd 
From  this  dismal  posture  of  stupid  surprise. 

O'er  valley  and  fountain,  till  high  on  a  mountain, 
Transparent  as  sunbeams,  we  soon  did  arrive. 

On  this  elevation  she  planted  my  station. 

And  then  she  extracted  the  scales  from  my  eyes ; 

The  prospect  was  glorious,  all  nature  harmonious, 
No  discords  nor  jarrings  could  ever  arise. 


506  MISCELLANEOUS    POETRY. 

I  view'd  my  Creator  as  a  Father  and  Savior ; 

All  his  dispensations  are  kindness  and  love  ; 
There's  no  contradiction  in  his  divine  system, 

No  invading  schemes  his  intentions  can  move. 

He's  founded  his  system  in  infinite  wisdom, 
He's  measured  the  whole  by  his  infinite  love  ; 

He  has  raised  his  tower  with  infinite  power  ; 
His  chain  is  eternal,  no  link  can  remove. 

He's  fixed  the  station  of  human  creation 

On  this  ball  of  earth,  but  a  space  to  remain  ; 

Though  troubles  assail  us,  yet  God  does  not  fail  us  ; 
His  love  will  here  reach  and  restore  us  again. 

Though  sunk  in  corruption,  though  seeking  destruction, 
And  wandering  far  from  the  fields  of  delight; 

Though  vain  and  false-hearted,  from  wisdom  departed. 
His  soul  all  enshrouded  in  darkness  and  night; 

Yet  Christ,  the  Anointed,  by  Heaven  appointed. 
Descended  to  earth,  and  was  veiled  in  flesh. 

To  reconcile  man  to  the  law  of  his  Maker, 
Raise  up  his  soul  from  the  bondage  of  death. 

The  spirit  of  wisdom,  descending  from  heaven, 
Reproveth  mankind  for  the  sins  they  have  done, 

And  worketh  salvation  through  regeneration, 
And  purifies  them  by  the  blood  of  his  Son. 

When  this  she'd  revealed,  my  heart  then  she  sealed. 
And  into  my  hand  a  bright  trumpet  did  give  ; 

"  Go,  face  opposition  in  every  condition. 

And  sound  this  loud  trumpet,  that  sinners  may  live."' 

Great  Spirit !  attend  me  ;  and  wisdom  befriend  me, 
That  I  may  obey  the  command  of  my  God  ; 

Though  friends  all  should  fail  me,  and  malice  assail  me, 
I'll  march  a  bold  soldier  in  wisdom's  bright  road. 


MISCELLANEOUS    POETRY.  50T 

PART  SECOND.  i 

Obedient  toTne  solemn  word,  \ 

I  left  my  friends,  my  parents  dear  ;  ; 
I  left  the  land  of  my  abode. 

To  spread  the  Gospel  far  and  near. 

Through  foes  within  and  foes  without,  : 

Through  hunger,  thirst,  and  pain  I  trod,  j 

To  sound  the  Gospel-trump  about,  j 
That  sinners  might  return  to  God. 

O'er  mountains,  desert,  wild,  and  bleak  ;  \ 
Through  scorching  rays  and  stormy  winds  ; 

Where'er  the  lamp  directs  my  feet,  j 

Or  where  the  spirit  me  commands ;  ] 

j 

With  weeping  eyes  for  sinners  lost,  j 

With  anxious  groans  and  care  I  cry,  j 

And  show  the  price  salvation  cost,  \ 

And  point  to  mansions  in  the  sky.  1 

O  sinner,  sinner!  hear  the  sound  !  ' 

Behold  your  Savior  bleed  and  die  I  i 

Think  of  his  sorrows — count  the  wounds  ;j 

Which  he  received  on  Calvary  !  \ 

For  you  he  bore  the  cruel  pains,  i 

That  you  eternal  life  might  have ;  :] 

From  death  he  rose,  and  lives,  and  reigns,  | 

That  he  a  guilty  world  might  save.  1 

Then  turn  to  God  with  all  your  heart, 

Implore  a  Savior's  pardoning  love  ; 
His  hand  will  every  grace  impart. 

To  raise  your  souls  to  heaven  above. 


oOS  MISCELLANEOUS   POETRY. 

There  shall  you  taste  unmingled  Joy, 
With  all  the  numerous,  ransoiml  throng 

And  love  and  praise  be  your  employ, 
While  endless  ages  roll  along. 


LLNES  INSCEIBED  TO  WIDOW  C- 


During  my  itinerancy  in  the  Onion  River  country,  in  the  winter  of  1802-3, 1  be- 
came acquainted  with  a  young  widow,  C. She  was  a  native  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, a  daughter  of  a  Mr.  J ,  of  Brookfield,  with  whom  I  had  a 

limited  acquaintance.     When  quite  young  she  married  a  Dr.  C. ,who 

settled  in  practice  in  the  town  of  Essex,  Chittenden  County,  Vt.;  but  soon 
died, leaving  liis  excellent  young  wile  with  an  infant  son.  She  was  a  deep, 
and  almost  inconsolable  mourner.  1  had  much  conversation  v/ith  her, 
gathered  a  description  of  her  intense  grief  and  sufferings,  as  far  as  she  was 
able  to  express  them,  and  strove  to  draw  her  soul  to  the  fountain  of  Gospel 
consolation  ;  and  I  had  reason  to  hope,  that  I  was  not  altogether  unsuc- 
cessful. After  I  had  taken  leave  of  her,  and  just  before  I  left  that  region  of 
country,  which  I  have  never  since  visited,  while  walking  one  day,  in  a  na- 
tural and  beautiful  grove,  to  which  I  often  resorted  for  meditation,  her  case 
was  vividly  presented  to  my  imagination ;  and  seating  myself  upon  a  moss- 
covered  log,  with  a  pencil  I  sketched  the  following  lines,  which  I  after- 
ward transcribed,  and  left  in  the  care  of  Br.  Babbit  to  be  presented  to  her. 


Hail,  long.forgotten  muse  !  I  claim  thy  aid. 

Hast  thou  no  charms  to  cancel  fell  despair? 
Must  sympathy  lie  lurking  in  the  shade, 

When  virtue  calls?     No  ;  with  her  thou  shalt  share. 
Hark  !  What's  that  sound  from  yonder  lonely  cell  ? 

Some  weeping  angel  in  distress  appears  ! 
She  strikes  the  mournful  lyre — What  does  it  tell  ? 

O  God  of  love  !  her  face  suffused  in  tears  ! 


MISCELLANEOUS    POETRY.  509 

Her  looks  deject,  and  bordering  on  despair ; 

Her  harp  some  dirge  to  human  greatness  plays  ; 
She  mourns — Ah  !  reason,  too,  has  she  to  care, 

Her  friend,  her  partner,  lies  entomb'd  in  clay. 
With  plaintive  steps,  and  slow,  she  treads  the  ground, 

While  in  her  arms  an  infant  son  she  bears ; 
At  length,  she  stops — then  casts  her  eyes  around— 

The  youthful  bloom  still  on  her  cheek  appears. 

She  steadfast  downward  fix'd  her  streaming  eyes, 

On  that  lone  spot,  the  dear  remains  enshrin'd  ; 
Her  feeble  voice,  though  audible  her  cries. 

Spoke  lamentations  torturing  to  the  mind. 
"  O  hapless  youth  !  how  can  I  tread 

The  path  which  Heaven  has  design'd  forme  ? 
How  cau  I  bear  this  unremitting  load, 

O  dear  departed  friend  !  untried  by  thee  ? 

Once,  on  thy  soothing  bosom  could  I  pour 

My  fond  desires,  and  ease  my  troubled  breast  ; 
But  now,  alas  !  that  heart  can  beat  no  more, 

And  lies  encircled. in  the  arms  of  death. 
Do  Tnot  dream  ?  Does  not  my  consort  live  ? 

Will  he  not  come  to  give  my  heart  relief? 
Methinks,  e'en  now,  I  see  him  nimbly  move — 

Away,  false  shade  !  thou  canst  not  stay  my  grief! 

Beneath  this  heap,  and  free  from  strife  he  rests  ; 

Nor  would  I  call  him  from  his"  peaceful  home  ; 
No  ruthless  troubles  here  invade  his  breast ; 

The  scene  he's  tried  where  all  must  shortly  come. 
But  O  my  infant !  O  thou  orphan  dear  ! 

My  grief  I  can  not  stay — come,  welcome  tears — 
No  father  hast  thou,  O  the  thought  most  drear  ! 

To  guide  thy  steps,  and  guard  thy  infant  years." 


610  MISCELLANEOUS    POETRY.  » 

Then  up  to  God  she  turns  her  longing  eyes, 

Kind  Heaven's  benediction  to  implore  : 
*'  O   God  !  all  bounteous,  faithful,  true,  and  wise, 

The  widow's  God,  Father  to  orphans  poor  ! 
Grant  thy  benignant  smiles  to  cheer  my  days  ; 

May  meek  submission  to  thy  will  be  mine  ; 
Oh,  lead  my  infant  in  sweet  virtue's  ways. 

And  may  he  in  the  courts  of  wisdom  shine." 

Then  sighs  obstruct  her  speech — she's  bathed  in  tears, 

The  briny  flood  her  burden'd  heart  to  free, 
When  suddenly  a  soothing  voice  she  hears, 

"  Fair  angel,  weep  and  sigh  no  more  for  me." 
'Twas  not  dread  thunder,  nor  fierce  glaring  fire, 

Norrattl'ing  hail,  nor  storm,  the  silence  broke, 
Nor  apparition,  ghost,  nor  spectre  dire  ; 

A  calm  and  welcome  voice,  like  reason,  spoke. 

"  Dry  up  thy  tears ;  nor  let  grim  discontent 

Pall  on  thy  soul,  and  tear  thy  heart  in  twain  ; 
Thy  days  of  trouble  shortly  will  be  spent. 

Then  we  shall  meet  no  more  to  part  again. 
Pine  not  for  friends — One  thou  art  sure  to  have, 

More  dear  to  thee  than  earthly  friends  can  be  ; 
Oh,  how  hath  he  express'd  unbounded  love. 

Who  bowed  his  head,  and  died  on  Calvary. 

He's  human  nature's  glorious,  guardian  Friend, 

Bound  by  those  ties  which  death  and  hell  can't  loose 
He'll  lead,  direct,  and  guide  thee  by  the  hand  ; 

In  his  dear  bosom  there  is  sweet  repose. 
Thy  infant  he  doth  in  his  arms  receive, 

As  the  good  Shepherd,  keeps  him  near  his  heart; 
His  spirit  everlasting  comforts  give. 

His  love  doth  life  and  energy  impart. 


MICELLANEOUS    POETRY.  *''»11 

He'll  guide  his  ransom'd  flock  to  endless  day, 

All  Adam's  race  are  purchas'd  by  his  blood  ; 
In  lucid  robes  of  spotless  purity 

He'll  clothe  and  own  them  for  his  chosen  bride. 
There  all  shall  meet,  and  join  the  choral  song, 

All  who  inhabit  air,  or  earth,  or  flood ; 
All  glory,  honor,  praise,  and  power  belong 

To  our  Almighty,  glorious  Savior,  God. 

There  we  shall  meet,  in  that  harmonious  throng, 

With  all  mankind,  in  sweet  felicity. 
And  join  the  eternal,  new,  and  glorious  song 

So  weep  and  sigh,  dear  girl,  no  more  for  me." 


SEARCH  THE  SCRIPTURES. 

The  following  loas  written  for,  and  published  in  1811,  in  the 
"  Religious  Inquirer,' '  a  contemplated  periodical,  of  ichich 
I  have  spoken  in  my  Memoirs. 


Go  "search  the  holy  Scriptures"  saith  the  Lord, 
In  them,  ye  think,  eternal  life  you'll  see  ; 

They  are  my  work,  the  record  of  my  word. 
"  And  they  are  those  that  testify  of  me." 

My  spirit  shall  illuminate  your  path, 

Make  truth  with  heavenly  lustre  on  you  shine  ; — ■ 
Shall  break  the  bonds  that  chain  you  down  to  death; 

And  raise  your  souls  to  life  and  peace  divine. 


512  MISCELLANEOUS    POETRY. 

There  can  you  read  the  sacred  promise  sure, 

Immortal  life  unfolding  to  the  view, 
There  find  for  sin  and  woe  a  sovereign  cure. 

And  wisdom's  path  with  rapturous  joy  pursue. 

How  vain,  O  man,  to  seek  for  perfect  joys, 
In  earthly  honors,  fame,  or  stores  of  gold  ;— 

To  grasp,  with  anxious  mind,  earth's  fleeting  toys, 
And  grovel  in  the  earth  for  peace  of  soul  ! 

Essential  bliss  is  not  of  earthly  birth  ; 

Here  rust  corrupts,  and  moth  corrodes  our  gain  : 
Souls  wedded  to  this  world  will  feel  a  dearth. 

Which  blasts  the  joys  they  fondly  would  obtain. 

Seek,  then,  O  man  !  thy  treasure  in  the  Lord, 
And  let  thy  soul  his  gracious  promise  prove  ; 

Pursue  the  written  pages  of  his  word, 
That  sacred  record  of  unchanging  love. 

There  will  you  find  unsullied  joy  and  peace, — 

There  streams  of  bliss  from  heavenly  fountains  roll 

There,  in  God's  mountain,  find  a  sacred  feast — 

While  strains  immortal,  swell  th'  enraptured  soul  ! 

These  joys,  0  man  !  the  world  can  not  impart, 
Nor  all  united  powers  of  earth  remove  ; 

Though  troubled  billows  may  assail  thy  heart, 
'Twill  stand  unshaken  on  God's  mount  of  love. 


MISCELLANEOUS    POETRY.  513 

LINES 

Written  with  a  pencil  at  the  grave  of  a  son,  on  the  first  anniver- 
sary of  his  interment,  May  16th,  1831. 


Again,  my  son,  to  thy  lone  grave  I  come, 

Still  deeply  groaning  'neath  this  ponderous  blow,  '< 

On  this  dread  day,  o'ercast  with  deepest  gloom,  .| 

Sad  anniversary  of  a  father's  woe  !  I 

Twelve  lingering  months  have  roU'd  their  tedious  round,  ,': 
Since  to  the  Power  who  gave,  thy  breath  resign'd — 

Since  here  thy  weeping  friends,  this  spot  around,  j 

To  the  dark  vault  thy  precious  form  consign'd.  i 

Nor  day  nor  wakeful  hour  has  pass'd  along,  | 

But  thy  lov'd  image  floats  before  my  sight ;  | 

I  see  thee  as  thou  wast,  in  time  that's  gone,  \ 

Nor  would  I  lose,  for  worlds,  the  vision  bright.  1 

Those  sparkling  eyes  with  fire  celestial  glow,  | 

When  cherish'd  by  a  father's  fond  embrace ;  ' 

Thy  words,  to  me,  like  heavenly  music  flow,  i 

And  smiles  seraphic  sit  upon  thy  face.  j 


But  oh,  when  'neath  correction's  bitter  smart, 
I  hear  thy  cry,  and  see  thy  tearful  flow, 

Ten  thousand  pangs  assail  this  bleeding  heart — 
I  groan, — I  faint, — I  sink  beneath  the  blow  ! 

"Forgive,"  I  cry,  "  0  dear  departed  shade  ! 

A  father's  frowns,  or  words  that  cruel  seem  ; 
From  this  torn  heart,  with  drops  of  vital  blood, 

Each  precious  tear  he  gladly  would  redeem. 


514  MISCELLANEOUS    POETRY. 

"  Spare,  spare  the  torturing  sight !  Oh,  let  a  tear 
Repentant  blot  the  scene  from  memory's  page  ? 

Yet  with  thy  soothing  smiles,  sweet  cherub,  cheer 
The  remnant  of  my  earthly  pilgrimage. 

"  May  thy  lov'd  form  still  keep  within  my  view. 
In  all  the  charms  of  youth  and  beauty  bright ; 

This  mournful  solace  let  each  morn  renew, 

And  dreams  of  thee  dispel  the  gloom  of  night." 

But  what  is  this  ?  Oh,  see  the  dismal  pile  ! 

Mark  where  that  form  lies  mouldering  back  to  clay  ! 
No  more  those  limbs  can  move,  nor  lips  can  smile — 

Then  burst  my  heart,  and  stream  my  eyes  away  ! 

Hush  !  hush  !  rebellious  heart ! — I  hear  a  voice  ; 

"  Be  still,  vain  mortal!  know  that  I  am  God.'' 
Father,  I  hear  ;  though  sorrowing,  still  rejoice, 

That  thou,  not  man,  lett'st  fall  the  lifted  rod. 

I  know  thy  wisdom,  power,  and  boundless  love 
Whate'er  is  best  for  mortals  will  perform; 

Though  rebel  man  must  thy  chastisings  prove. 
Yet  mercv  smiles  above  the  raginaj  storm. 

No  ;  not  a  murmuring  thought  would  willing  rise 
Within  this  torn,  this  lacerated  breast; 

Yet,  O  my  Father !  while  these  streaming  eyes 
Look  up,  and  seek  in  thee  my  only  rest, 

O  still  permit  a  father  so  bereav'd. 

Unnoticed  by  the  world,  to  come  alone 

To  this  retired,  this  sacred  spot,  and  grieve, 

And  breathe  to  sighing  winds  his  peaceful  moan. 


i 


MISCELLANEOUS    POETRY.  515 

The  grave  my  baser  passions  shall  chastise, 

Ambition,  avarice,  envy,  pride,  deceit ; 
Death's  dread,  resistless  power  shall  make  me  wise, 

And  bring  me,  conquer'd,  at  thy  sovereign  feet. 

For  here  the  great  must  lie,  the  wise,  the  brave, 
The  rich,  the  poor,  in  undistinguished  clay ; 

The  master's  dust  must  mingle  with  the  slave, 
Till  Gabriel's  trump  proclaims  immortal  day. 


ACROSTIC. 

During  the  last  sicluiess  of  my  beloved  daughter,  Mary  Adaline,hcr  teacher, 
whose  school  she  had  attended  until  she  was  prostrated  on  a  bed  of  sickness, 
made  her  a  call,  and  presented  her  a  book,  "  The  Life  of  Dr.  Franklin," 
wMch  he  had  promised  as  a  premium  for  good  behavior  and  scholarship. 
She  was  highly  pleased  with  this  token  of  approbation,  and  although  unable 
to  read,  yet  she  would  often  request  to  look  at  it,  and  hold  it  in  her  hand ; 
and  to  add  gratification  to  pleasure,  I  promised  to  write  an  acrostic  on  her 
name,  upon  a  blank  leaf  of  the  book.  And  although  she  was  taken  from  my 
arms  before  it  was  accomplished,  yet  I,  nevertheless,  perfonned  the  mourn- 
ful task,  with  conscientious  devotion. 


Mysterious  are  thy  ways,  O  God  of  love ! 
And  may  I  bow  submissive  to  thy  will  ; 
Resolv'd,  though  chasten'd,  still  thy  grace  to  prove. 
Yield  to  thy  rod,  and  bid  my  heart  be  still. 

Ah,  my  loved  child  !  how  dear  thou  wert  to  me  ! 
Did  virtue  dwell  on  earth,  'twas  in  thy  soul, 
All  meekness,  patience,  and  from  envy  free  ; 
Love's  gentle  spirit  did  thy  mind  control. 
I  knew  thy  worth  ;  but  worth  and  virtue  die  ! 
No ;  Heaven  translated  thee  to  worlds  above  ; 
E'en  yet  I'd  hold  thee  prisoner  from  the  sky. 


516  MISCELLANEOUS    POETRY. 

Such  was  my  fondness — my  misguided  love  ! 
Thy  time  had  come ;  nor  skill,  nor  parent's  love 
Around  thy  life  entwined  with  strong  desire, 
Could  still  the  voice  which  call'd  thee  from  above, 
Yonder  to  join  in  Heaven's  seraphic  choir. 


ELEGY  . 

On  the  death  of  Erastus  Ransom,  son  of  Robert  and  Lucy  Ransom,  of  Fen-"'' 
ner,  Madison  county,  New  York,  who  died  after  a  short  sickness  of  eight 
days  only,  in  the  State  of  Ilhnois,  August  19th,  183S ;  also  alluding  to  the 
demise  of  a  daughter,  their  youngest  child,  who  departed  this  life,  January 
13th,  1839.  They  had  previously  buried  two  daughters.  Written  by  tho 
request  of  his  parents. 


'Tis  done  ;  alas,  the  fatal  blow  is  given  ! 

His  spirit's  flown,  and  fondest  hearts  are  riven ! 

Erastus  ne'er  again  our  eyes  will  meet, 

No  more  his  voice  our  listening  ears  shall  greet, 

No  more  his  hand  the  friendly  grasp  impart, 

His  lyre*  no  longer  soothe  the  aching  heart. 

That  lyre,  which  oft  with  Gospel  music  rang, 

Lies  silent  now,  its  golden  chords  unstrung. 

Heaven  touch'd  his  heart,  and  form'd  him  for  its  own 

Hope  cast  her  anchor  near  the  eternal  throne; 

His  faith  embraced  the  promises  of  God,  ^ 

He  saw  salvation's  triumphs  spread  abroad.; 

Not  for  himself  alone  the  Savior's  grace. 

But  from  all  sin  to  purge  the  human  race  : 

This  taught  his  heart  her  strains  of  heavenly  love, 

And  ripen'd  his  young  soul  for  bliss  above. 


He  possessed  a  poetical  genius. 


MISCELLANEOUS   POETRY.  517 

Still  one  lone  waste  our  mourning  souls  must  feel ; 
We  weep  with  smart  no  human  aid  can  heal ! 

But  late  we  saw  him  healthful,  blithe,  and  young, 
His  course  on  earth  with  prospects  lair  begun, 
With  bright'ning  hopes  of  usefulness  in  view, 
He  bade  the  mansion  of  his  sire  adieu ; 
And  westward  shaped  his  course  to  stranger  lands. 
Nor  dream'd  life  there  must  burst  her  feeble  bands. 
But  vain  is  human  skill  'gainst  Heaven's  decrees, 
T'  arrest  the  aim  of  mortal,  fell  disease  ! 
The  word  from  Heaven  went  forth  ;   on  wings  of  love 
Bright  angels  bore  him  to  the  courts  above ; 
There,  free  from  mortal  cares  or  storms  of  woe, 
T'  resume  those  strains  of  love  begun  below. 
And  chaunt  the  praise  of  our  victorious  Lord, 
Till  death's  dark  reign  and  kingdom  be  destroyed. 

But  look !  the  western  sky  is  dark'ning  fast — 
Hark  !  that  sad  knell,  with  hollow,  mournful  blast, 
Sweeps  o'er  the  hills,  and,  strength'ningin  its  course, 
Strikes  kindred  hearts  with  overwhelming  force. 

As  some  old  oak,  which  long  the  storm  defied. 
Now  quakes  and  reels  beneath  the  whirlwind's  tide, 
Whose  yielding  roots  can  scarce  their  hold  maintain, 
Or  help  the  stock  its  equilibrium  gain  ; 
So  reel  these  parents,  reft  of  limb  by  limb. 
Beneath  the  strokes  of  death,  fell  terror's  king ! 
For  not  one  falls  alone ;  that  western  knell 
Is  echoed  back — another  droop'd  and  fell ! 
Severe,  still  more  severe  the  blasts  succeed ; 
Open'd  afresh,  the  wounds  more  freely  bleed, 
Till  sinking  nature,  verging  to  the  grave. 
For  succor  calls,  "  O  God  of  mercy,  save  !" 


518  MISCELLANEOUS   POETRY. 

Nor  calls  in  vain ;  one  all-sustaining  power 
Saves  from  despair  in  this  distressing  hour  ; 
One  root,  deep  center'd,  strength  divine  affords, 
The  root  of  faith  in  God's  unchanging  word  ! 

♦ 
Here  rest  you,  then,  my  friends  !  here  fix  your  trust ; 
Though  tempests  rage,  though  worlds  are  dash'd  to  dust. 
Though  lightnings  flash,  and  dismal  thunders  roll. 
No  terrors  here  can  overwhelm  the  soul. 

Nor  mourn But  no,  I  mock  a  parent's  woe  ; 

'Tis  man's  sad  fate  to  mourn  and  weep  below. 

Though  blest  the  lot  of  him  whose  spirit's  fled, 

Our  hearts  still  twine  around  our  kindred  dead. 

Oh,  yes  ;  I  know  it.     Sacred  drops  are  blest 

That  wet  our  cheeks,  tho'  from  the  heart  they're  pressed 

In  vital  blood,  until  life's  flickering  lamp 

Seems  near  extinguish'd  with  their  chilling  damp. 

Though  we  mourn  not  with  blasted  hope,  nor  fear  ; 

Though  faith  in  Christ  brings  heaven  and  glory  near, 

Yet  WOPS  our  viler  passions  shall  chastise. 

And  form  €ur  souls  for  mansions  in  the  skies. 

Then  wait  we  on  ;  with  mournful  pleasure  wait, 
Through  this  short  sojourn  of  our  mortal  state. 
Till  our  change  come — our  spirits  take  their  flight, 
To  meet  our  loved  ones  in  the  realms  of  light. 


MISCELLANEOUS    POETRY.  519 

A  CARD. 

On  being  presented  lo'iih  a  splendid  CarneVs-hair  cloak,  hy  my 
friends  in  Erie,  Pennsylvania. 


Benevolent  friends  !   accept  my  warm  regard, 
My  thanks  for  your  kindness,  (a  meagre  reward.) 
The  cloak  you  present  me,  so  ample  with  wings, 
Oh  grant  it  may  not  be  a  "  cloak  for  my  sins;" 
A  shield  to  my  frame  from  the  cold,  chilling  snows, 
Thro'  valley,  o'er  mountain,  when  boreas  blows — 
To  sound  the  loud  trumpet  of  free  Gospel  grace, 
Through  Christ,  the  Redeemer,  to  Adam's  lost  race. 
But  yours  be  the  meed,  ye  loved  of  the  Lord  ! 
And  be  the  prize  of  virtue  your  reward. 
While  your  kind  hearts  your  willing  hands  thus  lead, 
To  clothe  the  nakedj  and  the  hungry  feed, 
Be  mine  the  humbler  task  to  speak  his  name. 
And  his  salvation  to  the  world  proclaim. 
Till  we  shall  meet  in  realms  of  light  above, 
Wrapp'd  in  the  boundless  mantle  of  his  love. 


A  CARD. 

On  receiving  a  donation  from  friends  in  Ann  Arhor,  Michigan, 
comprising  every  article  necessary  to  constitute  a  complete 
suit  of  apparel,  together  with  a  ivig,  and  several  dollars  in 
money. 


Kind  brethren,  or  friends,  (take  the  term  that  you  love, 
As  shall  best  please  the  mind,  or  the  heart's  kindly  throe,) 

And  brethren  we  are,  for  our  great  Sire's  above  ; 

But  our  works,  not  profession,  our  friendship  must  prove. 


520  MISCELLANEOUS   POETRY. 

But  how  can  I  doubt,  when  this  body  around 

Is  array'd  in  the  rich  garb  of  charity's  boon  ? 
Not  a  niche,  nor  a  spot,  from  the  sole  to  the  crown, 
But  the  sweet  buds  of  friendship  incessantly  bloom. 

E'en  the  locks,  which  the  scissors  of  time  long  had  shoriz, 
Or  relentless  disease  with  her  hand  torn  away, 

Are  replaced;  and  new  ringlets  this  sear'd  brow  adorn. 
Which  the  channels  of  time  and  of  care  still  display. 

But  why  all  this  care  for  this  vile  lump  of  clay? 

This  clod  of  pollution,  corruption,  and  crime  ? — 
Hold  there,  vile  traducer!  nor  dare  thus  to  say, 

Since  its  Author's  the  fountain  of  wisdom  divine. 

For  erst  from  the  ocean  of  chaos  it  sprang, 
God  survey'd  all  its  parts  with  an  infinite  eye  ; 

And  this  curious  machine,  which  in  wisdom  began. 
By  his  omnific  word  was  perfected  on  high. 

Jt  was  made  to  be  cherish'd,  be  clad,  and  adorn'd, 
Not  hated,  degraded,  abus'd  and  despised; 

To  be  honor'd  and  bless'd,  if  to  wisdom  conform'd  ; 
Protected  and  lov'd  ;  but  if  sinful,  chastised. 

Then  I'll  bow,  dearest  friends,  with  a  heart  that  o'erflows. 
Both  grateful  to  you  and  to  God  ever  bless'd  ; 

For  the  vestments  with  which  this  frail  frame  you  inclose, 
And  the  dignified  sentiment  thereby  express'd. 

For  pure  religion's  here  exemplified, 

Approv'd  of  God,  and  safe  for  fallen  man ; 

To  bless  the  world  with  which  a  Savior  died, 

And  sublimate  of  grace  Heaven's  wond'rous  plaiP 


MISCELLANEOUS    POETRY.  521 

No  monk  austerity,  nor  hermit  gloom, 
No  self-tormenting  with  a  scorpion  rod ; 

No  hateful  pilgrimage,  nor  penance  doom, 
To  sate  the  vengeance  of  a  ruthless  God ! 

But  kindred  minds  canmingle  here  in  love, 
.    In  imitation  of  the  God  of  grace, 
Whose  light  and  rain,  descending  from  above, 
Illume  and  bless  the  whole  of  Adam's  race ; 

Can  seek  the  wretched,  gild  the  heart  of  woe 
By  timely  aid,  search  the  lone  widow's  cot, 

The  orphan's  cell,  and  blessings  there  bestow, 
Till  joy  shall  triumph,  sorrow  be  forgot. 

How  doubly  blest — the  heart  alone  can  tell — 
To  see  the  hungry  fed,  the  naked  clothed, 

Ihe  vile  reform'd,  the  wayward  turn'd  to  dwell 
In  wisdom's  sacred  palace,  and  beloved  ; 

To  see  the  eyes,  so  late  suffused  with  tears, 
Beam  forth  with  gratitude,  and  joy,  and  love  ; 

The  heart,  the  seat  of  dark  despair  for  years. 
Lit  up  with  hopes  of  peace  and  joy  above  ; 

To  gain  th'  assurance  of  a  grateful  heart. 
Untuned  to  flattery's  art,  unused  to  guile ; 

And  feel  the  bliss  those  heavenly  works  impart, 
Which  raise  o'er  earthly  woe  the  joyful  smile. 

Such  bliss  is  yours,  my  friends,  while  thus  you  prove 
Obedient  to  the  Savior's  great  command ; 

While  strangers,  friends,  and  foes  can  feel  your  love. 
In  blessings  scatter'd  with  a  liberal  hand. 


522  MISCELLANEOUS    POETRY. 

Go  on !  th'  reward  is  sure  ;  your  treasures  lie 
Beyond  the  reach  of  moth,  or  rust  or  thieves ; 

Peace  on  the  earth,  and  hopes  beyond  the  sky — 
These  are  the  treasures  which  the  soul  receives. 

Go  on  !  remember  the  sure  word  of  grace  ! 

The  voice  that  promises  will  surely  give 
Garments,  whose  lustre  time  can  not  efface, 

But  through  revolving  ages  shine  and  live. 

Yes ;  sin  shall  die  ;  darkness  shall  cease  to  reign  ; 

The  last  deep  groan  of  anguish  die  away  ; 
Then  Christ  will  burst  death's  adamantine  chain, 

And  raise  a  universe  to  endless  day. 

Hail,  sacred  morn!  when  Christ  shall  raise  the  dead. 
Clothed  in  rich  vestments  of  primeval  light, 

And  crowns  of  joy  grace  each  triumphant  head, 
With  stars  of  love,  most  dazzlingly  bright ! 

Angels  will  shout ;  powers  and  dominions  bow  ; 

All  intellectual  beings  prostrate  fall ; 
Wreaths  of  immortal  glory  grace  a  Savior's  brow ; 

Infinite  bliss  shall  reign,  and  "  God  be  all  in  all." 


A  CARD. 

On  finding  a  splendid  new  harness  on  my  mare,  Neio    Year' 
morning,  iefore  day -light,  1846. 


In  the  year  '46,  on  the  very  first  morn, 
E'er  the  sun  had  illumin'd  the  east, 

I  repair'd,  lamp  in  hand,  to  my  humble  barn. 
To  see  that  all  things  were  at  peace ; 


MISCELLANEOUS    POETRY. 

Where,  behold !  my  old  Doll,  (she's  the  pride  of  her  ra'cc, 
And  her  heart  is  as  white*  as  her  skin,) 

Stood  proudly  array'd  in  a  shining  new  dress, 
And  her  eyes  spake  of  pleasure  within. 

With  wonder  I  gazed  ;  then,  approaching  her  side, 

Found  a  billet  quite  fairly  display'd. 
From  St.  Nicholas'  self,  without  boasting  or  pride, 

Attach'd  to  the  gift  he  had  made. 

My  heart  felt  a  thrill ;  for  direct  from  above 

It  descended,  it  seem'd  to  profess  ;— 
Still,  why  should  I  doubt  that  the  spirits  of  love 

Delighted  poor  mortals  to  bless  ? 

But  his  servants  on  earth  were  his  agents  in  this, 

And  their  kindness  of  heart  I  revere  ; 
Though  all  1  can  do  is  to  pray  for  their  peace, 

And  to  WISH  THEM    A    HAPPY    NEW  YEAR. 


Her  eolor  is  white. 


K\ 


;V\ 


^-- 


933.91 


Stl£ 


COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY 


0035521872 


